I went straight to Mark’s office. Mark was an old friend, a lawyer who knew me before I was Mrs. Brandon Miller.
“Draft the divorce papers,” I said.
Mark blinked, his pen hovering over his notepad. He looked at me with wide, concerned eyes. “Maureen? You... are you sure? It’s only been a week since the... since the accident.”
“It wasn't an accident,” I said, my voice flat. “Just do it, Mark. Please.”
He sighed, leaning back in his chair. He rubbed his temples. “Okay. I’ll keep it a secret for a while. I won’t file them immediately. But Maureen... think about this.”
He gestured to me, to my pale skin, my thin frame.
“Where would you go?” he asked gently. “You lost everything now. You quit your job. You sold your apartment. You only have him, remember?”
I stared at the floor. He was right. Brandon had slowly stripped me of everything. My independence. My career. My friends. He had made himself my entire world, so that when he decided to destroy it, I would have nowhere to fall.