Chapter 3 - The Young and the Restless
Two days before the deadline, I experienced firsthand the depths of Cameron and Madison’s delusions.
I had taken Friday afternoon off from my banking job to pack up my personal belongings from our master bedroom. I had already secured an executive apartment lease in uptown Charlotte, overlooking Romare Bearden Park. My plan was to leave the house cleanly, without a trace of my seven-year presence, before the papers were finalized.
I was taping up a box of books in the foyer when the front door swung open.
I looked up, expecting Cameron. Instead, Madison Price walked in, swinging a set of house keys around her index finger like a cheap souvenir. Cameron trailed behind her, carrying an iced matcha latte from an artisanal café uptown.
When Madison saw me standing among the stacks of cardboard boxes, she didn't flinch. Instead, she offered a patronizing, pitying smile that made her look even younger than her twenty-two years. She was dressed in designer athleisure, hair pulled into a slick bun, radiating the unmistakable entitlement of someone who believed she had won a prize everyone else had failed to keep.
""Oh,"" Madison said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. ""Cameron said you’d be at work until five. We came by to measure the living room for the new sectional.""
I stood up straight, setting the packing tape on top of the box. I looked at Cameron.
Cameron had the decency to look slightly uncomfortable, though his defensive reflex kicked in immediately. ""Lauren. We didn't mean to interrupt you. Madison’s lease on her apartment ends next month, and since the agreement stipulates the house will be listed or bought out, we were just... planning ahead.""
""Measuring the living room?"" I asked, my voice calm, flat, and completely devoid of emotion. ""Before the divorce papers are even executed?""
Madison stepped forward, crossing her arms. She looked around the expansive, hardwood foyer, her eyes lingering dismissively on my family heirlooms. ""Honestly, Lauren, we just want to get a head start. There’s really no reason for this to be awkward. Things end. People move on to different seasons of life. Cameron needs an environment that inspires him, you know? A modern aesthetic that matches where the firm is heading.""
I stared at her. A twenty-two-year-old girl, standing in the home I had bled my savings into, lecturing me on ""seasons of life.""
""Madison,"" Cameron warned gently, placing a hand on her elbow. ""Let's just come back later.""
""No, Cam, why should we?"" Madison pushed back, turning her wide, ambitious eyes toward him. ""Lauren is an adult. She understands business. She knows how hard you’ve been working while carrying everything on your shoulders. It’s better if we’re all transparent."" She looked back at me, a haughty smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. ""You've had a wonderful seven years here, Lauren. But Cameron needs a partner who matches his drive, not someone who holds him back in the past.""
I didn't yell. I didn't throw the tape dispenser at her face, though the primal part of my brain considered it for half a second.
Instead, I looked her up and down, letting my gaze linger on the expensive Cartier Love bracelet on her wrist—a piece Cameron had undoubtedly charged to his corporate discretionary expense account.
""You really believe that, don't you?"" I asked softly.
""Believe what?"" Madison asked, tossing her hair.
""You believe that Cameron is a self-made tycoon who built Whitlock Private Strategies out of thin air.""
Cameron stepped in front of her, his face flushing dark red. ""Lauren, that's enough. Don't take your bitterness out on her. Madison had nothing to do with our problems.""
""I’m not bitter, Cameron,"" I said, meeting his eyes with an intensity that made him step back half a pace. ""In fact, I’m profoundly grateful. You’ve both clarified everything for me.""
""Are you going to sign on Monday or not?"" Cameron demanded, his patience finally snapping under the weight of his own embarrassment. ""Daniel said your attorney sent over an amended version yesterday. He’s reviewing it now. If you’re trying to play games with the equity, I swear to God I will drag this out until you have nothing left.""
""Daniel already received it?"" I asked, feigning innocence. ""Good. Marcus Vance simply cleaned up the boilerplate clauses. Everything you asked for is essentially intact. You keep the firm. You get your sixty-five percent of the house equity. Spousal support waived. Exactly as you designed.""
Cameron blinked, caught off guard by my concession. He had clearly expected a bloodbath. ""You... you agreed to the sixty-five percent?""
""I told you,"" I said smoothly, picking up a black marker to label my box. ""I want a clean break. I have no interest in holding onto things that don't belong to me anymore.""
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Madison smiled victoriously, squeezing Cameron’s arm. ""See, babe? I told you she’d be reasonable once she realized she had no leverage. Adults solve things practically.""
""Yes, Madison,"" I said, writing MASTER BEDROOM - FRAGILE across the cardboard in bold strokes. ""Adults solve things practically. We'll meet at Daniel’s office Monday morning at ten. Make sure your mother is there, Cameron. She wouldn't want to miss celebrating your big victory.""
