Divorce By All Means

Golden glittering champagne, chandelier lights all intermingling with the creme de la creme. I swept my eyes across Rose garden hall with a deep sense of unease that this looked like anything but the birthday party of a 14 year old girl. Which in fact it was. Or at least was supposed to be. My poor step daughter stood awkwardly amidst the crowd in her pretty sapphire ball gown, all her ‘guests’ were at least a decade older than her and mostly ignored her presence. Heels clicked on the marble floor as I approached her, an apologetic smile written all over my face as smoothed out stray hair sticking out of her immaculate blonde bun and balancing her tiara. “Oh! thanks Ashley,” Alice said quietly, eyes laid on the floor, shoulders slumped. “I think I'm getting sleepy, can we go home soon?” She looked like a puppy left out in the rain, I pursed my lips. “I'm sorry, Alice, this was supposed to be your party,” She shrugged, “No biggie, I'm used to this…” Guilt hit me like a slap. I guided her to her ‘throne’ placed at the raised platform at the furthest end of the hall, soon the guests would start presenting her gifts. I went in search of her father who was talking with two old time friends that also happened to be executives at his pharmaceutical company, and of course already half drunk. “Oliver,” one of his friends, the bulkiest among the trio said, “tell me the truth man, what's your secret? How did you bag a woman like your wife?” “Indeed,” nodded the other who also had failing relationships, “Help us out with some tips,” I waited to hear a compliment or two about myself but what I heard shook me to my bone. “I can't remember much, all I know is that she was so easy. All I had to do was smile and sweet talk her then she was all over me!” he snorted, “Besides she isn't all that anyways, Trembles ran from my fingers down to my feet and I almost tripped on my heels even though I was standing perfectly still, listening to every word that passed between the three like my life depended on it. “But wasn't she one of the best neurosurgeons in the country? I heard she quit her job just to be with you,” one of them said, his jaw hitting the floor. Oliver waved his hand like the career I'd poured my blood, sweat and tears over was nothing. “If she was really that impressive, why would she quit her job?” Both men nodded in agreement while I was trying to relearn how to breathe properly, this couldn't be true…right? I must have fallen asleep in the middle of the party and was having a nightmare now. Tears wanted to form but nothing came, I backed away, returning back to Alice's side. “Ashley, are you okay?” She said, stretching out her fingers and wrapping them around mine. “Did Dad do something?” I took in a deep breath, lifting my head with a stubborn determination to get through tonight without breaking down. “Everything is fine babygirl, I couldn't find him but–” “I'm here, pumpkin!” Oliver called out, planting a peck on Alice's cheek . She looked a little pale afterwards and I chalked it up to the fatigue she was getting from the party. “I'm taking Alice home after the gifts has been presented,” I said and Oliver's eyebrows knotted, “Why?” Coupled with the anger I was already feeling from what I overheard, his flippant question almost made me swing at him but I kept my cool, there was no need to confront him in front of his business associates and the reporters and photographers around, this would be a private conversation. “She's tired,” I said simply. He groaned, running his fingers through his hair, then sweetened up when looking at Alice; “Pumpkin, I prepared this wonderful party for you, Ashley even helped out too…can't you stay for a little bit longer?” My stomach churned just from hearing him speak, the only thing he did was found me a list of guest and to be kind of fluid that's had to be prepared, not like he even sourced them out himself or anything yet he was acting like he did the lion share of the work while fumbled on crumbs. Alice was about to agree, her face fallen into a defeated look, however before she could speak. I stood between her and her Dad. “I have already made up my mind Oliver, if you're not happy with it then I can just take her now and leave,” I stood my ground, which wasn't a regular thing in our marriage. Normally he would say jump and I would have asked how high, the conversation I just overheard seemed had yanked the rose glasses off my eyes. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but he finally back pedaled. “Fine, but she'll have to take my gift first before she leaves, I'm not budging on that,” “Okay,” I agreed. Then it turns out his gift was the last one to be presented, I watched him with greeted teeth as he waited till dozens of guests were done presenting their own gifts. Then finally it was his turn, he coughed to clear his throat and then melt in front of Alice. She looked deeply uncomfortable, shifting from side to side as he gushed about how happy he was that she was now turning into a ‘woman’. Now I was uncomfortable too, she still had a long road ahead of her before womanhood, I don't know why Oliver was always rushing it, this wasn't a one-time thing. Whenever I bought clothes for Alice or any form of gift he would scrutinize it and often shake his head in disapproval. “She's too old for this kind of silly thing,” he said after I bought her a dollhouse when she was 10. “Why are you babying her when you are not even her real mother? Since then I've always tried to stay in my lane and not overstep my boundaries as a stepmother, but even though I never heard any biological children of my own I had a soft tender spot for Alice and didn't think that she needed to be treated like an adult as her father often said. I mean even if this party I arranged was just an extension of how he refused to see her as a child. Sometimes I wonder why he wanted her to grow up so fast. I thought most parents, especially fathers, help seeing their daughters as babies even when they are mature enough. I snapped back to reality when he finally presented his gift, laid out in a rectangular red box with a big dramatic ribbon. slowly took it like she was accepting a bomb and her face completely drained of color when she saw what was inside.