THE DEAL
597 Words
Helen called the next day.
"Daniel's lawyers want to meet," she said. "They're ready to talk settlement."
I was at the studio, alone. Julian was on a delivery. Lena was at the bank. The room was quiet, the afternoon light soft through the windows.
"When?"
"Tomorrow. Ten o'clock. My office."
"What do they want?"
"To avoid a trial. To keep the documents sealed. To make this go away as quietly as possible." Helen's voice was calm. "Daniel is scared, Maya. He should be."
"What should I ask for?"
"Everything." There was a pause. "But I think you already knew that."
I looked out the window. The city was gray, overcast, the kind of day that made everything feel heavy.
"I don't want everything anymore," I said.
Helen was quiet.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"I want the divorce. I want my name back. I want enough money to know I'll never be desperate again." I paused. "I don't want to destroy him. I just want to be free."
"That's not as dramatic."
"I know."
"But it's healthier." Helen's voice softened. "I'll see what I can do."
---
The meeting was at Helen's office.
Daniel was there with his lawyers—three of them, all in expensive suits, all looking like they'd rather be anywhere else. Daniel looked smaller than I remembered. Diminished. The charm was gone.
"Maya," he said.
"Daniel."
We sat across from each other. Helen was beside me. His lawyers were beside him. It felt like a negotiation, not a divorce.
"Let's get straight to the point," Helen said. "My client wants a clean divorce. No contest. No trial. No publicity."
Daniel's lead lawyer nodded. "And in exchange?"
"Full financial disclosure. Half of all marital assets. And a public statement from Daniel Sterling acknowledging the validity of the marriage."
Daniel's face went pale.
"A public statement?"
"Nothing dramatic. Just the truth." Helen slid a document across the table. "My client has spent five years being invisible. She wants to be seen."
Daniel looked at me.
"Is this what you want?"
I met his eyes.
"This is what I need," I said.
---
The negotiation took four hours.
Daniel's lawyers pushed back on everything. The financial disclosure. The asset division. The public statement. Helen pushed back harder.
At two o'clock, they agreed to terms.
Half of everything. Full disclosure. A brief statement acknowledging that Daniel Sterling and Maya Chen were married for five years and were now divorcing by mutual agreement.
No mention of the contract. No mention of the other women. No mention of the void clause.
It wasn't everything I'd wanted.
It was enough.
"Maya." Daniel stood up. His hand was outstretched. "I'm sorry. For all of it."
I looked at his hand.
Then I looked at him.
"I know," I said. "But sorry doesn't fix anything."
I walked out of the room without shaking his hand.
---
Helen caught up with me in the hallway.
"You did well," she said.
"I didn't destroy him."
"No. You didn't." She put a hand on my shoulder. "You chose yourself instead. That's harder."
"Is it?"
"Yes." She smiled. "Destroying someone is easy. Choosing yourself is work."
I thought about the past five years. The anger. The waiting. The plans I'd made to tear Daniel's world apart.
"I'm tired," I said.
"I know." Helen squeezed my shoulder. "Go home. Rest. The paperwork will take a few days."
I nodded.
Walked out of the building.
The sun was out. The city was bright. And for the first time in five years, I felt like I could breathe.
- Writer
