Chapter 5 - The Public Mask Falls
Three days later, I was back in Seattle, accompanied by two private security guards I had hired through Eleanor's firm. I wasn't taking any chances. Ethan was desperate, and desperate men did stupid things.
I stood outside our suburban two-story home, holding a key I would soon surrender forever.
When I pushed the front door open, the house smelled stale, like old takeout and unwashed clothes. Ethan was sitting at the kitchen island, surrounded by empty beer bottles and crumpled papers. His suit jacket from the flight was thrown carelessly over a chair. He looked terrible—his eyes bloodshot, his beard unkempt, his face pale.
When he heard the door open, he jumped up so fast he knocked his barstool over.
"Claire!" he yelled, taking a step toward me. "Claire, oh my God, you came home!"
The two security guards stepped into the foyer right behind me. Ethan stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes darting from the bulky men in dark suits to me.
"Who... who are these guys?" Ethan asked, his voice shaking. "Claire, what is this?"
"They are here to ensure that I can pack my personal belongings without interruption, Ethan," I said, pulling a folded legal envelope from my purse and setting it on the marble counter.
Ethan looked down at the blue envelope. His hand trembled as he reached out and picked it up. He read the bold text on the cover: PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE.
"No," Ethan whispered, shaking his head frantically. "No, no, no, Claire, please! We can go to counseling! I’ll never see Vanessa again! I’ll cut her off completely! I’ll block her number right now!"
"You should have cut her off eight years ago, Ethan," I said, walking past him toward the master bedroom. "Or better yet, you should have married her instead of making me your maid while you dated her on the side."
"I don't love Vanessa!" Ethan screamed, following me down the hallway, though the two security guards blocked him from getting too close to me. "I never loved her! She was just... she was just easy! She was convenient! She gave me attention when you were always working!"
I stopped in my tracks and turned around to look at him.
"There it is," I said quietly. "The truth always comes out when you're cornered, doesn't it? It was my fault because I was working. My fault for building a career."
"I didn't mean it like that!" Ethan stammered, realizing his mistake. "Claire, please—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the front doorbell rang sharply.
Ethan frowned, looking toward the front door. "Who is that?"
I checked my watch. "That would be the process server delivering the court injunction for your business accounts."
Ethan’s face turned completely ghostly white. "What?! My business?!"
"Every account you opened, every dollar you moved, and every 'consulting fee' you paid to Vanessa Parker is now frozen pending a full forensic audit," I said calmly, zipping up my suitcase containing my clothes, jewelry, and legal documents. "If you try to move money, you will be in contempt of court."
At that exact moment, the front door swung open. Vanessa stepped into the entryway, uninvited. She was holding a bag of groceries, looking like she had made herself right at home in my absence.
"Ethan, babe, I saw the police cars outside—" Vanessa stopped mid-sentence when she saw me standing in the hallway, packed suitcases beside me, flanked by two security guards.
She looked at Ethan, then at the legal divorce papers in his hand, then at me.
"Claire..." Vanessa started, putting on her sweetest, most innocent voice. "Look, I know you're mad at me, but Ethan really loves you. Don't take his life away over a moment of weakness..."
I looked at Vanessa, then looked at Ethan.
May you like
"She’s all yours, Ethan," I said with a faint, polite smile. "You paid for her with my marriage. Enjoy the prize."
I pulled my rolling suitcase past them both, stepping out into the crisp Seattle air, leaving Ethan standing in the foyer screaming at Vanessa for ruining his life, while she sobbed hysterically in response.
