Chapter 9 - The Settlement
Two weeks later, the final papers were signed inside a quiet judge's chambers in downtown Nashville.
Roman sat across the room from me, looking ten years older. His signature tailored suits were gone, replaced by a simple, ill-fitting dark jacket. He looked hollowed out—the smooth-talking billionaire reduced to a man facing years of personal financial restructuring and potential criminal fines.
Aurora was nowhere to be seen, having fled back to her hometown after being formally fired and indicted for corporate fraud.
The judge stamped the final decree with a sharp thud that echoed in the quiet room.
"The marriage between Eleanor Vance and Roman Leister is officially dissolved," the judge declared. "All property rights, design patents, and trust assets revert entirely to Ms. Eleanor Vance."
Roman stared at the polished wooden table. He didn't look up as the judge handed me the signed decree.
I stood up, buttoned my blazer, and gathered my papers.
As I reached the door, Roman spoke for the first time all morning. His voice was raspy, stripped of all its former confidence.
"Eleanor," he said softly.
I paused, turning back to look at him. "Yes, Roman?"
He looked up, his eyes bloodshot, searching my face as if looking for the quiet, passive woman he had married six years ago.
"Did you ever love me?" he asked. "Or was I just a project to you?"
I looked at him with a calm, gentle pity.
"I loved you, Roman," I said honestly. "I loved the man I thought you were. The man who sat across my kitchen table and shared dreams of building something beautiful. But you didn't want a partner to build with. You wanted a ghostwriter for your life. Someone to do the work while you took the bow."
Roman swallowed hard, unable to respond.
May you like
"I hope the pear-shaped diamond was worth it," I said quietly.
I turned, walked out of the courtroom doors, and stepped into the crisp autumn sunshine.
