Chapter 5
"Arthur..." Anabella looked at me cautiously. "I've made everything clear. I'll do my best to get the money back. Can we stay together? Please, let's not get divorced."
"Once we're done with breakfast, we're heading to the Registry Office," I said.
Without looking back, I walked into the bathroom.
Behind me, I could hear her muffled sobs.
I looked at the guy in the mirror, bloodshot eyes, a gaunt face,and barely recognized myself.
This was me now: a miserable man, betrayed by my wife and cleaned out of everything I had.
I splashed cold water on my face, hoping it would wake me up a little.
On the table was my favorite breakfast: bacon and a sandwich.
This used to be the warmest moment of my day.
But now, just looking at that bowl of porridge made me feel sick to my stomach.
I didn't touch my food. I just sat there, waiting for her.
Anabella finally emerged from the bedroom, moving slowly. She'd changed clothes and put on some light makeup, trying her best to cover up how exhausted she looked.
"Let's go," I said, standing up.
"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked.
"Not hungry," I replied.
The drive to the Registry Office was dead silent.
Anabella sat in the passenger seat, sneaking glances at me out of the corner of her eye. She looked like she wanted to say something a few times, but always held back.
I kept my eyes fixed on the road, my grip on the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white.
When we pulled up to the Registry Office, I parked the car.
Anabella unbuckled her seatbelt but wouldn't get out.
"Arthur, can we talk about this one more time?" she pleaded, grabbing my arm. "Are we really going to end three years together just because of this money?"
"It's not about the money," I said, locking eyes with her. "It's about you, Anabella. You never really saw me as your husband, and this house was never your home. To you, I was just someone to keep your life comfortable, while your heart, everything you cared about,was always with that guy, Braylon Patton."
"No, that's not true!" she protested, her voice trembling. "I just feel sorry for him, and maybe I admire him a little, but the one I love is you!"
"Love?" I scoffed, like I'd just heard the funniest joke ever. "So your version of love is cleaning out everything I own and handing it over to the guy you 'admire' so he can start a business? Anabella, quit fooling yourself. Can you honestly say that if Braylon struck it rich today and became a billionaire, you wouldn't kick me to the curb and run straight into his arms?"
Her face drained of all color.
My words struck right at the truth she couldn't even admit to herself.
She opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.
"Get out of the car," I said, my voice flat and emotionless. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."
Anabella went rigid.
It finally hit her that I wasn't bluffing.
This time, no matter how much she cried or begged, nothing she did could change things now.
She trailed after me into the Registry Office, like a shadow with her soul drained away.
The staff member started the standard procedure, asking if we were both here of our own free will and how we wanted to split our assets.
"I'm here voluntarily," I replied, crisp and clear.
When it was Anabella's turn, her lips trembled, and she couldn't get a word out for a long moment.
The staff member frowned. "Ma'am, please make sure you're certain about this."
"I..." Tears welled up in Anabella's eyes again.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was Tommy Roberts.
I answered and put it on speaker.
"Zain, I just sent the divorce agreement to your email. Have her look it over. There are three main points," Tommy said.
His voice echoed clearly through the quiet office.
"First, the house, the car, and the savings, each of you gets half. That's the law, no way around it," Tommy said.
Anabella seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard that.
Our place wasn't big, but the location was great, so it was worth over 1.5 million dollars. She'd get half, about 750 thousand. The car was worth over 100 thousand, and our savings were around 70 thousand. All together, she'd end up with roughly 900 thousand dollars.
It wasn't as much as the 400 thousand dollars in gold she'd lost, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about money for the rest of her life.
She gave me a look, smug and a little mocking.
It was like she was saying, "See, Arthur? I'll be just fine without you."
I ignored her and signaled for Tommy to continue.
"Second, about that roughly 390 thousand dollars in debt," Tommy said, his tone turning serious. "We've got solid proof that Anabella gave that money to her friend Braylon Patton without your consent. That makes it her personal debt. So before we split up the joint assets, the portion of the house and savings allocated to her will be used to pay off that debt first."
Anabella's face went ghostly pale.
After subtracting 400 thousand dollars from 900 thousand, she'd be left with 500 thousand.
The drop was just too much for her to handle.