Chapter 4 - The Reading Of Sins
Vincent tore open the first envelope with shaking hands, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.
The legal header of the Clark County Family Court glared back at him in merciless black letters. A petition for full legal custody and dissolution of marriage, signed by Clara in steady, unhesitating blue ink.
"No, no, this is impossible," he whispered, his vision blurring as his knees gave out, forcing him down onto the sofa. "She wouldn't do this. She doesn't have the stomach for it."
He ripped open the second envelope and found fifteen single-spaced pages titled: What You Chose Instead.
Day 1: Labor. Baby’s heart rate dropped to 60 BPM while you stood in hallway 4 answering Victoria’s call about her lost luggage.
Day 2: Surgery recovery. I bled through my sheets alone while you stayed out until 5:00 AM smelling like vanilla mist.
Day 5: Discharge day. You sent an Uber Black driver named Marcus to bring your firstborn son home from the neonatal unit.
Day 8: Nico’s umbilical stump fell off; you were attending an exclusive rooftop dinner for Victoria's foundation gala.
Every single line was a bullet through his chest, written without a trace of rage, only the cold, unyielding precision of a woman who had fully surrendered hope.
Vincent reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his phone, his thumb dialing Clara's number with trembling urgency.
May you like
"The number you have reached has been disconnected or is no longer in service," the recorded operator announced evenly.
He smashed the expensive glass screen against the floorboards, howling into the empty ceiling as the sheer weight of his betrayal suffocated him.
