Chapter 4

On the day of the divorce proceedings, Richard showed up right on time to pick me up.

I wore a gray coat and carried only a document folder.

When he saw me, he asked, "Did you bring the agreement?"

"Yeah, got it," I replied.

"And the documents?" he asked.

"Yep, got those too," I said.

He nodded, as if finally relieved.

At the city hall entrance, Claire was there too. She stood at the bottom of the steps, not coming closer, watching from a distance.

Richard frowned. "Why are you here?"

Claire said, "I wanted to say goodbye to Stella."

I looked at her. "Are you here to say goodbye to me, or to take him home?"

Her face went pale. "Stella, please don't say that."

While we were waiting in line, a young couple in front of us was arguing. The woman was crying, her makeup running, while the man was looking down at his phone.

Richard glanced at me. "You're handling this with more dignity than she is."

I shot back, "Are you expecting a thank you from me?"

"I want you to move on and live your life," he said. "Don't keep yourself trapped in the past."

"I'm not the one who locked myself in the past," I replied.

He didn't say anything.

The clerk at the window looked over our paperwork, then glanced up at us. "Are you both sure you want to do this?"

Richard replied without missing a beat, "Yes."

The clerk turned to me.

I hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes."

The seal was pressed, barely making a sound.

Twenty-six years, stamped closed by a flimsy divorce decree.

When we stepped outside, Claire was already standing next to Richard.

Instead of holding his arm, she handed him a scarf. "It's cold out."

Richard took it and said quietly, "Didn't I tell you to wait in the car?"

Claire looked at me. "Stella, if you ever need anything, you can always reach out to me."

I put the divorce decree in my bag. "Actually, what I need is for you to keep your distance."

Claire bit her lip and stayed silent.

Richard's voice turned cold. "Stella, that's enough."

I looked at him. "Not yet."

He sounded impatient. "What else do you want?"

I pulled a piece of paper out of my folder and held it out to him.

"Sign for it," I said.

Richard didn't reach for it. "What's this?"

"You gave me something, and I accepted it. Now it's your turn to take what I'm giving you," I said.

Claire reached out to stop me. "Stella, this is already awkward enough."

I brushed past her and pressed the paper into Richard's hand.

It was a copy of an old hospital sample collection record.

Only half the details were there, and there was no final result.

Richard glanced at it, his face darkening. "Why are you looking into this?"

Claire's voice went sharp. "What is this?"

Ryan came running over from the parking lot. "Dad, Aunt Claire, why are you still here?"

He saw the paper in Richard's hand and tried to grab it.

I kept the folder close. "It's not for you."

Ryan glared at me. "Mom, are you dragging me into this again?"

Richard folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket, lowering his voice. "We'll talk about this at home."

I laughed. "Which home are you talking about? Do you even have a home left?"

Claire leaned on Richard's arm. "Richard, I feel dizzy."

Richard instinctively supported her, then turned to me. "Stella, I let you walk away with your pride. Don't push me to take that away."

"Try it," I shot back.

Ryan stormed up. "Don't push it!"

Everyone around started staring.

Ryan, young and full of pride, raised his voice. "You already got all those houses and cash, still not enough for you? Do you really have to make Dad look bad in front of all these people?"

A middle-aged woman whispered to her friend, "Even rich folks can't make divorce look good."

I turned to Ryan. "You're worried about him losing face, but you don't care if I get humiliated?"

Ryan shot back, "You brought this on yourself."

I closed my folder. "Just wait and see how far I'm willing to go."

Richard stared at me. "Stella, you've changed."

I replied, "Finally, you noticed."