CHAPTER 3

The past continued to resurface in my mind, no matter how hard I tried to push it down. I remembered the countless dinner parties where Nathan and his social circle would belittle me for my supposedly humble upbringing. 

"Fetch me another drink, would you dear?" Nathan would say, smiling that dazzling smile that no longer fooled me. As I walked away, I could hear the snickers and whispers behind my back.

"Really Nathan, a farm girl? I thought you had higher standards than that."

"She must be a terrific lay if you're willing to marry down so far."

I endured it with a stoic smile, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of seeing me upset. But inside, the comments chipped away at my sense of self-worth. 

If the guests weren't bad enough, Nathan's mother Josephine was ruthless in her criticism of me. Though I had graduated top of my class with a business degree, in her eyes I was nothing more than the help. 

"Agatha, why isn't this floor polished to a shine? I thought I taught you the basics by now." Her piercing glare could strip paint from the walls.

No matter how immaculate the mansion was or how many meals I cooked, it was never good enough for Josephine. While Nathan's friends lounged in the parlor drinking brandy, she had me on my hands and knees scrubbing grout. 

Once, I made the mistake of protesting, saying I wasn't their maid. The smack across my face startled me into silence. Josephine's eyes blazed with cold fury. 

"As long as you are under this roof, you will do as I say. Ungrateful wretch - we take you in and this is the thanks we get?" She grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking my head back to look at her. "Learn your place, or you'll find yourself out on the street with the rest of the trash."

The ringing of my phone caught my attention and I drifted away from those painful memories. It was Lena, my lawyer, and one of my close friends. I took a deep breath to steady my voice before answering.

"Hello?"

"Agatha, it's Lena. I just arrived in the country a couple of hours ago and I saw that I got an email from Nathan's lawyer. He said Nathan filed for divorce. Are you okay? What happened?" Her concerned tone was comforting.

I let out a shaky sigh. "He served me the papers himself last week. Said it was over and I should pack and leave. It was so abrupt, I'm still processing it all."

Lena swore under her breath. "That man has some nerve. After everything you did for him and his career. Tell me where you are, we need to look over what he's proposing. My guess is he wants to screw you over completely."

"Thank you. I appreciate you coming, I'm staying at my dad's house. I just feel so blindsided by all this. Nathan and I hadn't been getting along perfectly lately but I never thought he'd give up on our marriage without trying to work things out." My fingers tightened around the phone as the emotions threatened to overwhelm me again.

"I know this is incredibly hard. But you don't deserve to be tossed aside after supporting that man for so long. We're going to fight this." Her confidence was reassuring. "Try to stay calm until I get there. I'll bring some desserts from my travels."

I ended the call and sank onto the couch, sifting through the chaotic thoughts swirling in my head. Nathan and I had our struggles, but we'd been together for five years. Married three of them. How had things fallen apart so quickly and completely?

Lena arrived sooner than expected, carrying a tray with some cookies. "I drove faster than usual." Her sympathetic gaze took in my disheveled state. "Go ahead and cry if you need to, I'm here for you."

That small kindness was enough to break the fragile hold I had on my emotions. Tears began streaming down my face as I recounted the events to her in halting sentences. Lena listened patiently, rubbing my back and refilling my teacup when needed. Her calm, rational demeanor helped soothe my frazzled nerves.

Once I'd regained some composure, Lena pulled out the divorce papers. "Alright, let's see what kind of mess we're dealing with here." Her brow furrowed as she scanned the document. "I was right, he's trying to screw you over royally. He wants the house,  all joint assets, and isn't offering any alimony. Says your "contribution to the marriage was negligible". As if you didn't support his career every step of the way."

Her indignation on my behalf was comforting. I knew with Lena in my corner, Nathan wouldn't get away with treating me so unfairly. "What can we do to fight this? There's no way I'll agree to those terms after everything I put into our life together."

Lena patted my hand reassuringly. "Leave it to me. I'm going to request a full accounting of assets from the beginning of your marriage. We'll show the court exactly what you brought to the table - both financially and otherwise. And I'll be pushing for substantial alimony given how long you were married and your loss of career opportunities to focus on Nathan. We'll get you a fair settlement, I promise."

Her confidence lifted my spirits immensely. Nathan wanted a fight by serving me papers this way. Well, now he had one on his hands. I wasn't going to go down without ensuring he faced consequences for this callous act. 

As Lena and I continued discussing our strategy, I heard the familiar rumble of my father's Mercedes pulling into the long driveway. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal Aldo De Rossi, impeccably dressed as always even after a day on the golf course.

"Ah, I see you have company," my father said, nodding towards Lena as he entered the room. Though reserved by nature, I could tell he was happy to see her. They had built a rapport over the years given her family's status and connection to me.

"Good afternoon, Mr. De Rossi," Lena greeted him politely. "I came to talk about Agatha’s divorce papers. We were just discussing strategy for responding."

My father's expression darkened at the mention of the divorce. "That snake of a man thinks he can discard my daughter without consequences? I warned Agatha he was not to be trusted. At least she had the good sense to come back where she belongs." 

I shifted uncomfortably, the lingering hurt of Nathan's betrayal still too near. But Lena redirected the conversation to spare me having to dwell on it. 

"Sir, you know you can count on my full support in this matter. My family takes  care of our own, and Agatha has been like a sister to me since we were children." Though we came from vastly different backgrounds, that bond was real. 

My father nodded. "Yes, the Morettis have always proven stalwart friends and allies. Please pass along my regards to your parents...it has been too long since our families have gathered."

"Of course, they will be delighted to hear from you," Lena replied. Though her family's law firm was highly prestigious now, she never forgot they had started from humble immigrant roots. My father's patronage and trust had been critical in growing their success.  

I brought over a tray with appetizers and drinks, listening to the easy rapport between Lena and my father. Despite our different stations in life, she had never treated me differently even after learning my choice to marry Nathan and leave my family.

We spent the next hour discussing options for responding to Nathan's outrageous demands, fueled by fine wine and food. By the time Lena had to depart, I felt infinitely calmer and more centered.