Chapter 6 : No Longer Forced to Endure

Ella

I arrive early at the courthouse on the day of our divorce proceedings. Dressed in a business suit, I am prepared to have an air of importance about myself.

The time spent with my family has allowed me to feel better and look better. I have better posture and I'm more confident. Heads turn toward me as I walk down the street, my bold outfit and red fingernails attracting attention.

As I sit waiting for our lawyers, I notice that the usually punctual George is running late.

Fifteen minutes after the hour, George finally shows up looking disgruntled. I find it intriguing to see George out of his element and clearly frustrated.

"Ella." He says it like there's punctuation in the air.

"George." I return the energy, straightening my shoulders to appear taller and more in control. The truth is, I AM in control here. I'm the one who finally took the plunge. I'm the one who made my feelings, emotions, pain, all of it visible.

"George and Ella?" a voice calls into the lobby. We both turn to see our lawyers together, gesturing to have us follow them. Here we go.

I stand and begin briskly striding toward them, my heels clicking on the floor, which adds a sense of strength to my mind and body.

If George is going to regret anything, it's letting me walk the fuck away from him when he could have made me happy and we could have been together forever like we promised in our wedding vows.

Instead, I bite the inside of my cheek to hold my emotions in and appear neutral, blank. This is the easy part, I tell myself. The divorce is uncontested, and there will be no need to bicker over property or money. George can have everything, making it easy for me to exit this sham of a marriage.

As our group sits in a small office, George across from me, the lawyers begin talking.

"We're here to end the marriage of the Wickhams, with Ella filing and George accepting the terms and information given to him?" my lawyer, Jefferson, questions us.

We both nod. I am relieved George is not making any more of a fuss about this.

"Then all that's needed is to sign on the dotted lines, and you'll be happily unmarried," Jefferson states.

"You've made up your mind then?" George asks, gaining my attention. I look at him, trying to figure out what he might possibly be thinking. He keeps eye contact for only a few seconds before I look back at the lawyers. "I'm warning you: you will regret it."

I can't help but snort with disdain, shaking my head with a slight smirk. "I assure you that I've made up my mind and that it will not change."

Whatever happens to me next, it will be better than waiting for George to come home each day in an empty apartment, having no life of my own, and hoping for him to love me.

George still won't look at me, so I look back at the men helping us end our marriage.

"All right, you two," George's lawyer pulls out the necessary paperwork, stating, "Anywhere on the dotted lines that hold an X will be where your signatures are needed."

I don't hesitate, grabbing the paperwork to begin the process. It's a thick enough document, but I don't bother to read a single word. After all, George gets everything, and I get nothing from the marriage. Nothing I want, nothing I need.

Everything I needed back then is in front of me, and now he's not enough to keep up this charade.

"Please switch your paperwork with one another," Jefferson instructs.

I push my papers to George, and he does the same. I have no regrets, as I told George, but the bastard could fucking look at me as we end our union.

Instead, he buries his head in the papers.

This is completely different from the proud George I remember.

Once everything has been signed to the lawyer's satisfaction, Jefferson takes the papers and puts them in his briefcase.

"By the power vested in me and the Toronto authority of marriage, I now pronounce you divorced. Thank you both." Jefferson signs a piece of paper for each of us—the divorce certificates. He paperclips the other copies of the agreements and closes them inside his bag. He looks from me to George and back up at his lawyer. "That will be all. Congrats."

I let myself steal a glance at George, but he's still not looking at me. Thankfully, this is it, and I will never have to worry about seeing him again.

I stand, shake Jefferson's hand, and I head for the door without another thought. George comes out right behind me but won't give me even a shred of his interest. He's not even glancing down at me, apologizing, taking a shred of responsibility.

He gets the love of his life, I get my freedom, and we never associate with one another again.

I take in a deep breath the moment I step outside the courthouse, smelling freedom for the first time in years. Everything seems so much more apparent. The sounds of nature and cars are sharper, and the smell of the neighborhood cafes and restaurants wafts around me, satisfying an urge I've never imagined.

I can finally be the honest Ella.

George comes over to stand beside me, and I think he might finally apologize for his role in our marriage. Of course, I'm wrong once again.

"I'm going to ask once, and that's it. Please visit Charlotte at the hospital. Regardless of our status, she is still injured because of you." George's voice stays level, and he looks over my head.

A chill spreads through my body, and I once again remind myself of this man's priorities. They were never about me. They were never to protect and love me.

No. All he's wanted is to lose me and gain his true love.

My heart is cold with resentment, anger, and, worse of all, betrayal. This marriage was never meant to be forever.

"Oh, I promise wholeheartedly that I'll take responsibility for my actions with Charlotte. Don't worry." I've had a plan set in motion this entire time. It's time I go through with it. "I've prepared a gift for Charlotte. Make sure she remembers to receive it, will you?"

I don't wait for an answer; instead, I take a few steps forward and hail a cab.

Good riddance to the man I married.

I take the taxi to the suburbs to surprise my best friend at her home. When Rachel opens the door, I show off the certificate I'd been given.

"Oh, fuck yes! You did it?" Rachel is ecstatic as she takes the divorce paper, looking over every inch thoroughly.

"I did it." I give her a proud smile, hand on my hip. "You're looking at Ella Reina, single, powerful, and thriving."

Rachel grabs me and brings me in for a hug, saying how proud of me she is over and over again. No one in this world is a better friend than Rachel. She invites me inside, and we sit together to discuss the next steps.

"No more being a housemaid. No more bending over backward for a man who doesn't appreciate you. You get to be Ella again. So, with that, what're you gonna do?"

"What do you mean?" I question.

"Your life. Are you going to go back to working? Or is it time for early retirement?"

I laugh, shooing the idea off. "I might be wealthy enough never to work again, but my life has been about chores, laundry, cooking, cleaning, and everything that came with my role as the wife. I haven't done things I love in so long. I could go back to practicing medicine, racing cars, or playing music. The possibilities are endless, Rach."

"Good. All I've wanted for you is to return to the real world with the rest of us."

"Ha! Yes, I know, I've let myself hide from the world, and now it's time to return. I want to pick up exactly where I left off with who I was."

"Queen Ella is coming back! That's the bitch I know! Making a comeback that the world will never be ready for."

"They'll have to get ready. I'm not hiding from them anymore."

Rachel claps her hands. "I can see it all now," she states, gesturing to the world outside these walls. "Vanished Queen reappears to the world when it needs her most. A heartbreaking tale helps reveal she's been amongst us this entire time! Her comeback was inevitable; now watch as she regains her power."

"Are you sure you're not the one working for Entertainment Daily now?" I mock, picking up a crumpled piece of paper and throwing it at my best friend.

"Might as well with the amount of gossip I listen to all day long."

I roll my eyes, but I continue to smirk at the woman. "Thank you for your help, Rach." I reach out across the table and take her hands in mine, squeezing so she knows I mean it. "For keeping my secrets, for inspiring me with your confidence to allow myself a better life, your strength, all of it."

My beautiful best friend sticks out her lower lip and coos at me. "Aww, girl, you're MY inspiration. You got this; don't you dare doubt yourself! I'm always here for you."

We stand and hug; it feels so good to be this person again.

Before I leave her home, I reach into my bag and hand a USB drive to Rachel. "I'm assuming you can arrange for the drive's contents to be released? You are, after all, very good at your job."

She snorts. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Ma'am." She takes the drive and taps it against her counter. "Just to confirm, is this what I think it is?"

I give her a firm nod. "George asked me to apologize to Charlotte. So, why not give her that apology? I mean, I can imagine that Charlotte will be quite satisfied with my words. After all, I had the audacity to marry George. How could I?"

Rachel just smiles wider, excitement now even more apparent in her expression. "God, I've been waiting for you to say all of this. I've already arranged everything necessary."

She reaches over the counter and grabs her laptop, dragging it toward her.

She opens the screen up and shows me what she's been planning.

"And THIS is why you're my best friend," I conclude.

Never doubt Rachel and her ability to do a damn good job.

"One call, and it'll explode all over the internet, guaranteed."