The purchase date, property documents, and financial records left no ambiguity.
He did receive his rightful portion of legitimate marital assets.
I wanted a straightforward divorce, not some imaginary total victory.
But straightforward proved painful enough.
His debts swallowed most of what he had left.
The forged-signature matter was eventually resolved without criminal prosecution after the lender agreed to repayment terms and Mark signed a formal acknowledgment concerning the unauthorized application.
My attorney advised that a certain resolution was preferable to spending years fighting in court.
I agreed.
Patricia called me once before the divorce was finalized.
Her voice sounded unusually subdued.
“I never thought you’d actually leave.”
“That was the problem.”
She fell silent.
Then she said, “Mark says you ruined his life.”
I stared through my office window.
“No. Mark built a life that only worked as long as I kept paying for it.”
Six months later, our divorce became final.
I renovated the house.
Nothing dramatic.
I simply got rid of everything that had been selected to make someone else happy.
Mark moved into a one-bedroom apartment and accepted a salaried position after losing his business.
