I fixed Mariam with a gaze full of the long-buried hatred I had nursed for years.
My voice was hoarse but steady. “I have one condition.”
Charlton’s face hardened instantly. He frowned as if staring at a lunatic. “You still dare to make demands?”
Hatred rose in my eyes, years of suppression surfacing in a sharp, exacting edge. “Yes. My condition is that I divorce you right now. Sign the papers, and I will teach you how to perform that surgery.”
Silence crystallized around us. For a moment, the world felt suspended.
Mariam blinked, then a sickly euphoria lit her face. She nodded as if it were the sweetest bargain imaginable. “Fine. A deal like buy-one-get-one—I can’t say no to that.”
Charlton’s jaw worked, but he said nothing.
Soon, the divorce agreement was presented and placed in front of me.
6
Arizona’s POV
The moment my pen touched the paper, my fingertips trembled slightly, but I did not hesitate.
As the nib cut across the line, I felt the last shackle around me snap with a dry click.
A sudden, intoxicating illusion of freedom washed over me.
I folded the agreement carefully and pressed it to my chest, as if shielding the last thread of my dignity.