Chapter 18 - THE FINAL DOCUMENT
The divorce hearing happened six weeks later.
There was almost nothing left to argue about.
The estate was mine.
My inherited shares were mine.
David’s remaining personal assets were largely subject to restitution and forfeiture.
He did not contest the divorce.
He signed from prison.
Rebecca placed the final decree before me.
I stared at the line.
MARRIAGE DISSOLVED.
“Ready?”
She asked.
I thought about the leather folder.
The first document David saw after returning home had been Lily’s death certificate.
I had once thought that was the paper that shattered his life.
I was wrong.
A death certificate records what has already been lost.
This document did something different.
It recorded what I was finally willing to release.
I signed.
Maya Hale.
Not Maya Vance.
Hale.
My father’s name.
My name.
Rebecca smiled gently.
“How does it feel?”
“Quiet.”
“Good quiet?”
I thought about it.
“Yes.”
Afterward, I drove to the cemetery.
Snow covered the grass.
I brushed it from Lily’s stone.
LILY GRACE VANCE.
BELOVED DAUGHTER.
SEVEN YEARS OF LIGHT.
I sat beside her.
“Your dad is going away for a while.”
Wind moved through the bare trees.
“I don’t know what you would think.”
I smiled through tears.
“You always thought everybody deserved another chance.”
I looked at her name.
“I hope he becomes someone who deserves one.”
That surprised me.
But I meant it.
Not another chance with me.
Not another chance with Lily.
Those doors were closed.
I hoped he became better because the world had enough men who confused regret with change.
Before leaving, I placed a copy of the divorce decree back into my bag.
The death certificate remained locked at home.
One document ended Lily’s legal life.
May you like
Another ended my marriage.
Neither ended mine.
