My name is Natalie Hayes.
I’m thirty-two years old. A mother of two.
And as of five minutes ago…
I was no longer Ethan Cole’s wife.
Before I could even set the pen down, his phone rang.
That ringtone.
The one I had come to recognize—the one he never used for work.
He didn’t step outside. He didn’t lower his voice.
“Yeah,” he said, leaning back casually in his chair. “It’s done.”
There was a pause. Then his tone softened—sickeningly sweet.
“I’m coming to you now. Today’s the checkup, right? Don’t worry, Vanessa… my whole family’s already heading there.”
He glanced at me briefly, as if I were nothing more than a piece of furniture.
“Your baby is the future of everything. We’re finally getting our son.”
The mediator quietly slid the final documents toward him.
Ethan didn’t bother reading a single line.
He signed with a quick, careless stroke, then tossed the pen onto the table as if he were closing a business deal—not ending a marriage.
“There’s nothing to argue about,” he said flatly. “The condo was mine before the marriage. The car is mine.”
He gave a small shrug.
“As for the kids… if she wants them, she can take them. Saves me the trouble.”
Something tightened in my chest—but it didn’t break.
Not anymore.
