Chapter 8 - THE WEDDING WITH THREE LAWYERS
We got married at the Pima County courthouse on a Thursday afternoon.
No flowers.
No music.
No white dress.
There were three lawyers, Vivian, two witnesses from Rebecca’s office, and my children.
Ethan wore the clean polo Daniel’s assistant bought him.
Ava insisted on carrying a plastic dinosaur.
I signed the marriage license only after Rebecca made me read the prenup one final time.
Daniel’s inherited property remained his.
Anything connected to Michael remained mine.
No shared debt.
No joint bank accounts.
No parental authority over Ethan or Ava.
Guaranteed housing, insurance, and an employment stipend for me for eighteen months regardless of divorce.
A ninety-day review date.
The most important clause was mine:
No continuation of the marriage is required for either party to retain contractual protections already vested.
In plain English:
I could walk.
After we signed, Daniel did not kiss me.
He shook my hand.
“Thank you.”
I appreciated that more.
The trustee certified his spousal branch the following morning.
Twelve percent shifted.
Victor no longer had enough votes to remove him outright.
He reacted exactly as Vivian predicted.
Publicly, he called the marriage a disgrace.
Privately, he offered Daniel a deal.
Annul the marriage.
Send Sarah Mitchell away with a settlement.
Victor would withdraw the CEO removal motion and “resolve legacy employee claims internally.”
Daniel showed me the email.
I stared at the phrase legacy employee claims.
“That means Michael.”
“Yes.”
“And probably others.”
“Yes.”
“What did you answer?”
Daniel turned the laptop toward me.
His reply contained one sentence.
Independent audit proceeds Monday.
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That was when the arrangement became irreversible for him too.
He could no longer save himself by giving me up.
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