Chapter 4 - The Dissolution of the Illusion
Marvin’s head snapped up, his glass of water nearly slipping from his fingers. "Divorce? Elena, please! It’s only been three days! We can fix this! I was just doing what my mother told me to do! I love you!"
"You don't love me, Marvin," I said, looking down at him with an expression of profound, unbothered detachment. "You loved the idea of a quiet, submissive wife who would cook your meals, hand over her hard-earned money, and absorb your blows without making a sound. You loved the mask your mother designed for you to wear."
I pulled a second set of documents from Lucas’s bag—a standard, uncontested petition for the absolute dissolution of marriage on the grounds of extreme emotional and physical cruelty.
"You will sign these papers right now, Marvin," I stated, placing the document directly in front of him. "You will waive all rights to any shared property, you will assume full liability for the remaining lease on this apartment, and you will agree to a lifetime, non-expiring restraining order that bars both you and your mother from ever coming within five hundred feet of me, my family, or the municipal sports center."
"And if I refuse?" Marvin blustered, trying to find a remnant of the machismo he had weaponized the night before. "You can't force me to sign a divorce decree without a trial! I have rights!"
I leaned down, resting both hands on the table, my face inches from his. The sheer physical presence of a woman who spent twenty hours a week training athletes to dismantle aggressive opponents filled his vision.
"If you refuse, Marvin, I press send on the digital file currently sitting in the inbox of the Special Investigations Division at the police department," I said softly, my voice a dangerous, quiet purr. "By five o'clock today, you will be processed into the county jail for domestic assault, terroristic threats, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Your mugshot will be on the evening news. Your employer will fire you before you even get your one phone call. So tell me, Marvin... do you still want your trial?"
Marvin looked at his mother, but Camryn had turned her face away, completely broken by the loss of her properties, refusing to even look at the son she had used as a corporate pawn.
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With a shaking hand, Marvin took the pen. He signed his name on the line, the ink smudging slightly under his sweaty thumb.
"Excellent," I said, straightening up and handing the completed packet to Lucas. "File these immediately, big brother. Let’s get this garbage out of my house."
