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“You did, but we need a new one.”
“I’ll drop by right now. My first meeting doesn’t start until ten.”
“Perfect.”
His law practice wasn’t very far away, which was great. I was bursting with joy as I stepped into his office, smiling like a lunatic. I could still remember all the anxiety I had when Nick and I first came here.
He smiled at me. “Allison, congrats.”
“Congrats to you too. No small feat intimidating Sophie and Bob.”
“There wasn’t much intimidation required. They were scared shitless that anyone would find out they have financial troubles.”
“Is there any possibility that they can file again later?”
“Technically, of course they could, but this would really go against them. Changing your mind shows that you’re not committed. And if there’s one thing a judge is looking for in a custody case, it’s for a committed adult who has the children’s best interest at heart.”
I sat down in front of him in the chair that he pointed to. He already had the document there, ready for me to sign, and I did it without reading it.
“You can sign the other one, too, if you want, or you can take it with you to read it.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“The divorce papers, of course, as promised.”
I froze and immediately put the pen down. It felt as if it burned my fingers.
“Right, the divorce papers.” My elation evaporated completely, and my stomach dropped.
“If you prefer, you can take it with you and read it. It’s the same as the one I sent you months ago. No division of assets or anything like that. Each one of you walks out the same way you walked into this marriage.”
My heart was pounding fast. I was going to throw up soon or faint or both.
“Do you have questions?”
“Is it not too soon to do it? Wouldn’t it look suspicious if...?” If what? God, what was I supposed to say? I’d lost my train of thought completely. I tried to gather my wits, but I just couldn’t. It felt like Hugo had punched me in the stomach and then dumped a bucket of ice on top of my head. Did Nick know about this? “I mean, if the divorce goes through so fast.”
“We can wait. It’s your call. I don’t think it matters either way.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if he’d spoken to Nick about this, if he’d already signed, but I couldn’t. I didn’t even dare look through the files to check if his signature was there. I couldn’t bear to see it.
Damn it. This was what we’d agreed on. I had no right to keep Nick tied to me any longer. He was probably anxious to get back to his freedom and his penthouse.
“Allison, are you feeling okay?” Hugo asked, his voice filled with concern.
“No. I’m not sure what happened.”
“Maybe your blood pressure dropped. It happens when people carry adrenaline for a long time while waiting for an outcome. I’ll make a strong coffee.”
“That sounds good. Thank you.” I couldn’t even get up from the chair.
He disappeared behind me, and then I heard him turn on a coffee machine.
With trembling fingers, I looked through the papers. The signature page was blank. Nick hadn’t signed yet. I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, but then it dropped back down, and it was even heavier than before. It was probably because Hugo called me first. No way did he call Nick before, because he didn’t say anything at the house this morning.
My thoughts were getting muddled again as Hugo handed me the coffee. I took one sip, and miraculously I did feel a bit better. Maybe this truly was just my blood pressure dropping.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked.