Six Metro Stops, No More Us

Lenore's POV: Ding! A payment receipt alert chimed softly. Gideon Croft leaned back in the study chair, long legs crossed, his expression lazy and unhurried. "You cooled off yet?" I didn't answer. I just slid the divorce agreement a little further across his desk. He didn't even glance at it. Instead, he pulled a document out of his drawer and dropped it right on top of the agreement. "Since you want to talk, let's be rational about this." I glanced down at the page, then lifted my eyes to the title: Marital Non-Interference Liability Waiver. Black text on white paper. Two parties, full financial independence, full social independence, and a clause stating neither could interfere with the other's normal personal relationships over romantic disputes. The terms were even more detailed than the prenuptial agreement. Gideon picked up the teacup on his desk, his tone as impersonal and steady as if he was leading a routine weekly team meeting. "Your biggest problem is that you take marriage way too seriously. We're both adults. We need to learn to respect each other's boundaries." He tapped the paper. "Sign this, and neither of us can hold the other hostage over stupid little trivial stuff ever again." I stared at the waiver, and a sharp, bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat. "Pen?" Gideon seemed caught off guard by how calm I was, no tears, no yelling, no arguments. He raised an eyebrow, then passed me his fountain pen. The second I finished signing my name, the doorbell rang. Gideon stood up to answer the door, and his voice instantly laced with panic. "What happened to your hand?" Sabrina Night stood in the doorway, her left index finger wrapped in a tissue, a tiny splotch of red seeping through the paper. She kept her head tilted slightly down, her voice soft and sweet, almost timid. "It's nothing. I wasn't paying attention when I was cutting fruit, nicked myself. It wouldn't stop bleeding, and I got a little scared." Gideon frowned and hurried back into the room. He shoved my shoulder hard out of his path with one palm. The shove sent me staggering back a step, pulling at the old appendectomy scar on my abdomen. A dull, throbbing ache flared across my stomach, knocking the breath right out of me for a second. He didn't even notice. He dropped to a crouch and rummaged through the first aid kit, pulling out antiseptic wipes, cotton swabs, and gauze. He took Sabrina's hand gently, wrapping the gauze around her finger in slow, neat loops. He was as careful with her as if he were handling some priceless, one-of-a-kind treasure. Sabrina flicked a glance up at me, her voice going even softer, almost a whisper. "Gideon, your wife's still here. Did I pick a bad time to come over?" "What's bad about it? We haven't done anything wrong by her. Besides, she just signed that non-interference agreement with me." Gideon didn't even look up as he finished securing the last piece of gauze, his tone completely casual. "You're hurt this badly. Who else were you supposed to call if not me?" I stared at the waiver on the desk. The ink from my signature was still glistening, not even dry yet. I stepped forward, picked up the divorce agreement, folded it neatly, and tucked it into my bag. Gideon finally bothered to glance my way for half a second. I changed my shoes by the door, not bothering to glance back. Sabrina's voice drifted over from the living room, perfectly timed like she'd rehearsed the line. "Gideon, did I make your wife upset?" "Don't worry about it. Lenore's always like that. She'll get over it in a couple of days." I pulled the door open and stepped outside. Five hundred thousand to buy out all the years I wasted on him? That's practically a bargain.