#Chapter 21 – A Line Drawn


    Ste


    Confusion shes across Adrian''s face. He leans away from me, his green eyes unable to pull away from mine. His mouth opens then closes, just to open and close all over again.


    I stand right where I am. My fists are balled at my sides, fingernails digging into the palm of my hand. I can feel a tingling sensation spread across my skin, anticipation budding inside my body and coursing throughout my veins.


    I don''t look away from him. My breathing bes slow and ragged but I keep myposure. I can''t have him thinking that I am regretting my decision to agree to a divorce, a decision that I am not taking lightly.


    Adrian takes a step towards me. He closes the distance between us, tension now hanging in the air. I take a step back, the back of my thighs hitting the wooden chair.


    "If you go through with this," he breathes out, his voice low yet strained as if he is containing and holding back all of his anger, "do not expect a single cent from me. Not a nickel or dime or penny. Nothing"


    I blink at him, unable to form a coherent thought and push the words out of my mouth. His green eyes mine. My breath gets caught in my throat.


    burn into


    "My bank ount will be closed to you, do you understand?" Adrian slowly speaks the words. I swallow the lump that forms in my throat.


    Should I go through with this? Will this be something that helps me out in in the long run or will this only hurt me and my rtionship with him?


    Well...whatever is left of our rtionship after this, anyways.


    Adrian scoffs and pulls away from me. He sits back down in his seat, grabbing his


    drink from the table. He looks me up


    and down, the ss hovering by his lips.


    ''Maybe it''s for the best. ra definitely isn''t as materialistic as you are."


    Something in my brain switches. The budding anxiety I once felt immediately disappears, vanishing from the confines of my body. My fists slowly unclench and I turn to look down at him, watching as he casually sips his drink in front of me. "Materialistic?" I repeat his word, slowly sounding out each syble. He nods. "I don''t need your money, Adrian."


    Adrian turns to look at me. Shock shes across his face. I grab my bag from the table and he stands, his chair scraping against the ground.


    "I don''t need you or your money," I breathe out, avoiding his burning gaze. "You''ll be getting a notice from mywyer."


    Without wasting another second, I turn on my heel and make a beeline for the exit of the cafe, not looking back.


    Adrian


    The drive back to my house is quiet. The radio quietly ys in the background, the music unable to calm my nerves and anxiety.


    Was I too harsh with her? Could I have given her a third chance? A fourth?


    My fingers tighten around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. The sun has begun to set. I nce out the window, looking at the oranges that slowly turn into light purples.


    #Chapter 21-A Line Drawn


    I should have treated Ste better. I shouldn''t have been so demanding and cruel.


    I especially should not havepared her to ra.


    Ever since ra woke up from hera, Ste''s behavior has been less than ideal. She''s been erratic, off putting, and has been very quick to anger. Is ra the reason for this?


    I let out a quiet sigh, turning my attention back on to the road. I weave through the slower cars, trying to get back to my house as soon as I possibly can.


    Ste is going to leave me, isn''t she? She looked so determined in the cafe, so sure of her response.


    What did she mean by her not needing my money? Has she not relied on it this whole time? For the entirety of our marriage, she has always been driven by her greed and materialism, always taking my money whenever I give it to her.


    I should have been more patient with her. Emotions were running high during our meeting and there was no rationality to our words or actions. I will give her all of the space that she needs; maybe with time apart, she''lle to realize that she needs me and will see reason.


    1 park my car in the driveway. Shutting off the engine, I slip out and head towards the front door of my house. My eyes remain trained on the ground, head hung low as the questions about Ste''s behavior and motives float through my mind.


    "Long time no see, Adrian," ra''s voice rings out from in front of me.


    I look up, a small smile forming on her face. She holds a te of cookies. She holds it out to me when I approach


    her.


    "I made you some cookies!" ra beams, watching me as I slowly walk up the stairs.


    "Thank you," a tired smile spreads across my face. I take the te from her and look down at them, noticing that they look simr to cookies I get from a bakery nearby. I don''t say anything, though.


    ra kisses my cheek and takes the te back as 1 grab my keys. I unlock the door and move to step inside but ra stops me. I raise an eyebrow down at her.


    "Is everything ok-"


    "When are you going to divorce Ste?" ra''s question interrupts mine. My smile falls, shifting into an emotionless gaze. "It''s just that...well, Adrian, I love you so much and I want to be able to tell the world!"


    "I''m figuring things out, ra," I breathe out.


    "Is there anything I can do or say to help you move faster?" ra steps inside


    and sets the te of cookies down,ing back to me and taking my hands into


    her.


    Divorces take a long time. It''s not going to happen overnight or with a snap of my fingers," I try to keep my impatience out of my tone of voice.


    I can''t tell ra, the woman whom I have been in love with with for the majority of my life, that I''m having hesitations about divorcing her sister. I can''t tell her that whenever I think about Ste leaving me, my palms be sweaty and my heart begins to race in my chest, terrified of the idea.


    it


    "Give it some time, okay?" I gesture to the house. "I''ve had a long day and am going to rest now. Thank you for the cookies."


    I slowly step inside the house and close the door, locking it, before ra can find


    her way inside.


    As I run through my usual nightly routine, I can''t help but feel the underlying panic within my


    my thoughts that


    #Chapter 21 A Line Drawn


    Ste is going to be out of my life soon. It feels so surreal to think about. I can''t imagine the house without her


    presence.


    I walk into my bedroom, towel in my hands as I dry off my damp hair from the shower. I reach for the television remote and turn it on, the national news stationing onto the screen.


    "And now we would like to pass it off to economies professor Lucius Nn with his findings on public image and stock prices," the news anchor says.


    The screen cuts to a middle aged man who wears a brown suit. Beside him is a bar graph with two bars. One is tall while the other remains low.


    "Public image has never affectedpanies and their stock prices in the past, but in the new age of technology and consumer awareness, studies have shown that CEOS and Chairmans'' public image is important."


    The professor points to the bar chart beside him. He looks back to the camera, his pointer aimed at the higher bar.


    "Research shows that consumers prefer to buy frompanies whose CEOs are in long-termmitted rtionships," his pointer moves to the lower bar, "than those who are surrounded with scandals of affairs and divorce."


    A sense of relief floods my body. The pieces of the puzzle havee together


    and my worry has been over nothing.


    My stress hasn''t been over my feelings for Ste. It was my business mind shielding me from something that could''ve destroyed mypany and everything that I have built.


    I''ll have to talk to Ste and see if we cane to an agreement that can work for


    the both of us, especially since my career is on the line.


    #Chapter 22-1 Ward It All!


    #Chapter 22 - I Want It All!


    Ste