The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. Everyone was silent, watching.
Thomas opened his mouth to say something, but my mother-in-law snatched the divorce agreement from my hand, grabbed a pen, and thrust them at her son.
“Listen to your mother. Sign it. Let’s just end this with some dignity,” she said, her voice heavy with resignati-
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Thomas stared at her, utterly bewildered. “Mom, why? I told you, I’m innocent. If I sign this now, it’s like admi
tting I did something wrong!”
His voice rose in protest. “I’m not signing it.”
His father, now agitated, tugged on his wife’s arm. “Honey, what did you see? Just tell us! He’s your son. Yo can’t just stand by and watch his marriage fall apart. If there’s a misunderstanding, let’s fix it!”
My mother-in-law looked at me, her eyes filled with a deep, pitying sorrow, but she couldn’t bring herself t speak the words. “There’s nothing to say. A divorce is the right thing to do. I’m your mother. Would I ever hu
you?”
“I knew it was a mistake to involve the women,” one of the colleagues muttered. “Can’t get a straight answe
out of any of them.”
Another added, “Ma’am, Thomas is your son. How can you side with her? Signing the papers is one thing, bɩ what about his reputation? How is he supposed to show his face at the hospital after this?”
That last comment seemed to harden Thomas’s resolve. His face grew grim.
‘That’s enough. Dad, you and Mom should go home. I can handle this. Stop making things worse.”
Then, he turned to me, his patience completely gone.
‘Claire, you’ve yelled, you’ve slapped me. Is it out of your system now? Jenna is gracious enough not to pres
charges. Let’s just drop it.”
‘And I promise,” he added, “from now on, I won’t get involved in anyone else’s business. I won’t have contac with any woman who isn’t a patient. Is that good enough for you?”
He was framing it as a concession, but his tone was still dripping with condescension.
felt a hysterical laugh bubble up inside me. It took every ounce of my self-control not to slap him again.
Before I could respond, the elevator dinged, and Lily came rushing in, her face a mask of concern.
‘What’s going on, Claire? I could hear shouting from down the hall…”
She turned to Thomas, her tone chiding. “Thomas, what did you do to make her this angry again? You’re sup posed to cherish your wife. If you keep this up, you’re going to lose her for good.”
The moment he heard her voice, Thomas’s body went rigid. He instinctively moved to stand in front of me as if to block her from my view.
I frowned and shoved him aside. “Get out of my way.”
Lily’s gaze darted between us, finally settling on me. She pouted. “Honestly, Thomas, just apologize properly and this will all be over. A wife as forgiving as Claire is hard to find, you know.”
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Her words were for him, but her eyes, glinting with triumph, were locked on me.
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Thomas’s expression was strained. He was desperately trying to signal for her to leave, but she either didn’t see or chose to ignore him.
I stood there, watching the pathetic little show, a cold smile playing on my lips.
“Claire,” Lily continued, turning her full attention to me, “I told you before, you always have me. If you can’t stand it here anymore, you can always come stay with me!”
She winked. “We girls have to stick together. We can find any man we want. Then we’ll let Thomas see what
he’s missing.”
In the past, I would have been moved by her words, seeing her as a loyal friend and a safe harbor.
But now, in front of everyone, I slapped her so hard her head snapped to the side.
My voice was ice. “You’re right. You should be advising me. After all, I have to get divorced so you can hav my leftovers, don’t I?”
