The realization hit him like a slap. His face went red, then white.
I stood, stuffed the contract and check back into the folder, then walked to our fireplace. I tossed the entire thing into the flames. The paper curled and blackened, and the check dissolved into ash and smoke.
“What the hell?” Josh shouted.
From underneath the decorative bowl that held our keys, I pulled out a second envelope. I placed it in front of David.
“Divorce papers,” I said simply. “I’ve also been reconsidering our marriage.”
David’s face went slack. “What… but why?”
“I don’t want to be part of a family where my only value is as a checkbook,” I explained.
I turned and walked past all of them, past the good china and the melted candles, past the years of trying to earn a place I was never going to be given.
At the door, I paused and looked back.
“Good luck with the wedding,” I said. “I hope you find someone else who’s willing to buy their way in.”
Some things really can’t be bought. But the people who try to sell them? Well, they show you exactly who they are.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
