I had barely lifted the pen when David’s phone erupted. The ringtone was distinctive, a melody I had grown to loathe. He didn’t bother with the grace of discretion. Right there, in front of me and the stone-faced mediator, his voice shifted into a register of sickening sweetness I hadn’t heard in years.
“Yes, it’s finished. I’m coming to you now,” he murmured, his eyes avoiding mine. “The checkup is today, isn’t it? Don’t worry, Allison. My entire family is meeting us there. Your child is the heir to our legacy, after all. We’re coming to see our boy.”
The mediator pushed the final copies toward him. David didn’t read them. He scribbled his name with a jagged flourish and tossed the pen onto the desk with practiced contempt.
“There’s nothing to divide,” he said, directing his words at the mediator as if I were a piece of discarded furniture. “The condo was my premarital asset. The car is mine. As for the children—Aiden and Chloe—if she wants to drag them along, let her. It’s less hassle for my new life.”
