Chapter 3
Series 1 Chapter 3
“Don’t let them upstairs,” I told Rachel.
I took the elevator down to the lobby.
Ethan stood near the entrance with Sloane beside him.
Seeing them together clarified his purpose. He hadn’t come to apologize. He’d brought Sloane to explain why I shouldn’t take them seriously.
“Why did you bring her?”
“Sloane wanted to clear up the misunderstanding.”
“This is between us.”
Sloane stepped forward. “Claire, tonight went too far. I didn’t think you’d hear us, and I didn’t think Ethan would actually sign.”
“You pushed the papers toward him.”
“Everyone was joking.”
“I wasn’t.”
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Ethan glanced toward the front desk. “Let’s talk upstairs.”
“No.”
“Then come home.”
“No.”
His patience cracked. “How long are you planning to stay here?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“What about Lucy?”
“She’s at your mother’s tonight. We tell her together tomorrow. Until then, you don’t get to tell her I abandoned our family.”
“When have I ever said that?”
“You started in your messages.”
Ethan exhaled. “I reminded you that we have a daughter. You can’t disappear over one bad night.”
“I’m not disappearing from Lucy’s life. I’m leaving you.”
Sloane lowered her voice. “Maybe I should go.”
Ethan stopped her. “No. She needs to hear everything.”
Even now, he believed Sloane belonged in a conversation about our marriage.
“Then tell me everything,” I said. “Why did you bring the divorce papers to our anniversary party?”
He hesitated.
“Ryan saw them in my office. Once he pulled them out, everyone started pushing me.”
“Who brought them to the hotel?”
Ethan didn’t answer.
Sloane did. “I did. But I never meant to hurt you.”
“You only wanted my husband to prove he wasn’t afraid of losing me.”
Her expression changed.
Ethan cut in. “Enough. You’re angry, and I understand. But the foundation brunch is tomorrow. After it’s over, we’ll go home and talk. I’ll tell everyone it was a stupid joke.”
“You can tell them tonight.”
“Now?”
“Message everyone who was there. Tell them you signed willingly, that I didn’t threaten you with divorce, and that I never agreed to become the night’s entertainment.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m not sending our private problems to forty people.”
“You could humiliate me in front of them, but you can’t correct yourself?”
“I said I’ll handle it.”
“When?”
“When you’ve calmed down.”
That was Ethan’s method: my anger became the problem, and once I stopped asking, the problem vanished.
I quit arguing.
“Naomi will resume filing at eight tomorrow morning. I won’t attend the brunch at ten. You will tell the family we’re separating.”
Sloane looked at Ethan. “Maybe you should cancel it.”
“Impossible. The donors are already in town, and my mother has spent months preparing.”
He turned to me. “Do you know how many families canceling would affect?”
“I’m not asking you to cancel. I’m telling you I won’t host.”
“You’re a cofounder.”
“Until tonight, I was also your wife.”
His voice dropped. “Don’t act like I betrayed you. I signed papers you prepared.”
“Exactly. Tomorrow, I’m using them.”
He stared at me, waiting for the Claire who always saw the consequences and stepped in to fix them.
I gave him no solution.
“Sloane stays out of our conversations. You don’t lie to Lucy about why I’m leaving. You tell the family what happened tonight. Those are my boundaries.”
“You don’t get to make rules by yourself.”
“I get to decide where I go tomorrow.”
Ethan nodded as if he’d recognized a bluff.
“Fine. Stay here tonight.”
He headed for the exit, Sloane following him. A few steps later, he turned back.
“You’ll be there at ten.”
“No.”
“You will,” he said. “You never let anyone else clean up the mess.”
This time, I didn’t correct him.
I went upstairs and sent Naomi my answer.
File at eight.