inevitable. He risked losing even more in court,
not to mention damaging his company’s
reputation. He was always a smart man.
The divorce agreement was virtually identical to my original draft. The only change was that
Ethan had added another 10% to my
settlement. I signed immediately and scheduled an appointment at the courthouse.
He looked haggard, unshaven, and exhausted
when we met. It had only been one night. Didn’t he realize how pathetic he looked?
He stared at me, his voice rough. “Babe, I’m so sorry.”
I waved him off. “See you in thirty days to finalize it.”
He swallowed hard but didn’t speak.
Thirty days later, I returned to the courthouse.
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He looked even worse. He studied me, his
expression unreadable. “Sarah, you’ve changed.”
Indeed. I smiled. “Not having to worry about your crap has definitely improved my mood.”
He was silent for a long moment. Finally, under my prompting, we finished the paperwork. As I walked away with the divorce decree in hand, he watched me. “Sarah,” he said, “Can I… try to win you back?”
“Don’t bother,” I said, stepping back. “No sane person crawls out of a cesspool only to jump right back in. Did you not get enough shit the first time?”
He stared at me, his expression a mixture of hope and despair. I turned to leave. “Goodbye, Ethan.”
I saw Chloe again when she posed as a
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production assistant for a reality show. I sat across from her in a coffee shop, my gaze
lingering on her pregnant belly.
She noticed my look and smirked. “Ethan’s.”
“Oh,” I said, nodding. “Congratulations.”
She looked surprised. “Aren’t you jealous?”
“Why would I be?” I smiled. “We’re divorced. Didn’t you know?”
Her face fell. I understood. “What’s wrong?
Can’t reach Ethan?” I offered sweetly, “Need me to give you his number?”
Chloe glared at me. “As if I’d need your help! You’re the one he dumped!”
“I filed for divorce,” I corrected her. “Didn’t you
know?” I stirred my coffee. “I told him I was
clearing the way for you. He won’t marry you?”
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“You’re lying!” she shrieked, her face contorted
in rage. She threw her water at me. I dodged
easily, grabbing my own coffee and splashing it in her face.
Chloe screamed and lunged at me, but the coffee shop staff intervened. I calmly wiped the coffee from my sleeve with a napkin. “Oh, one more thing,” I said. “Just a friendly heads–up: Ethan can’t get it up when he’s drunk.” I smiled. “I wonder how much your baby will actually look like him.”
She went ballistic, struggling against the staff. I paid for my coffee and left. Wasting any more time on Chloe was pointless. I could be making
money.
Alex’s movie premiered, catapulting him to new heights of fame. I made a killing. I was officially a rich woman. I signed two new clients,
promising young talents. This time, I’d manage them personally.
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Ironically, one of my new clients, fresh out of
college, was tricked into going to the same private club by a sleazy director. This time, I didn’t go alone. I brought my newly hired bodyguard.
After extracting my client, I smiled at the men in the room. “My apologies, gentlemen. My client is new and didn’t mean to offend. We’ll make it up to you next time. So sorry to interrupt your… fun.”
As we left the room, I heard a woman’s desperate cries echoing from down the hall.
“Why won’t you answer my calls, Ethan? Are you avoiding me? You said I was the most important person to you! And now we have a baby! Who are these sluts? Get them away from him!”
A man’s irritated voice replied, “You’re the one who needs to leave.”
く
The woman continued to sob. The man yelled,
“Get out!”
A sharp cry followed.
“Call 911! A pregnant woman is bleeding!”
someone shouted.
The club staff rushed towards the commotion.
My new client gripped my arm. “Sarah, something’s happening.”
I turned and walked in the opposite direction. “Not our problem. Let’s go.”
My clients followed. We stepped out into the flashing neon lights of the city. I shielded my eyes, pointing to the brightest lights in the distance. “You don’t need to do things you’re not comfortable with to succeed. Even if you have to walk, even if it takes longer, you can still reach your destination.”
My clients nodded, deeply grateful. “Thank you,
Sarah.”
I liked people who understood. I smiled. “Come
on, dinner’s on me. Let’s de–stress.”
As we drove away, an ambulance sped past us, sirens wailing, heading towards the club. My
driver accelerated, leaving the chaos behind.
