Chapter 9 - A Visit to the Cell
Six months after the IPO, I did something my family advised against, but something I needed to do for absolute closure.
I drove down to the Allenwood Federal Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania.
Sitting in the small, sterile visiting room divided by thick plexiglass, I waited. A few minutes later, the heavy metal door opened, and Ethan was led inside by a guard.
He looked unrecognisable. His sharp corporate haircut was replaced by a rough buzz cut. The custom suits were gone, replaced by a drab grey jumpsuit. He had lost weight, and deep dark circles hung beneath his eyes.
He sat down on the metal stool across from me and picked up the red telephone receiver.
I picked up mine.
"You came," Ethan whispered, his voice dry and scratchy.
"I came," I replied calmly.
"Why?" he asked, looking at me through the glass. "To gloat? To see me like this?"
"No," I said softly. "I came to give you something."
I reached into my handbag and pulled out a single, thin piece of paper, pressing it against the glass so he could read it.
It was a final, certified copy of our absolute divorce decree. Signed by a judge. Clean. Absolute.
"You're free, Ethan," I said. "And so am I."
Ethan closed his eyes, a single tear cutting through the dust on his cheek. "Claire... I am so sorry. Every day I sit in this cell, I think about what I had. You loved me when I had nothing. You built me up. And I threw it all away for a flash of ego and a fake smile."
"You didn't throw it away because of ego, Ethan," I said directly. "You threw it away because you were weak. You couldn't handle standing beside a strong woman, so you tried to crush her so you could feel tall."
He hung his head, unable to meet my eyes.
"I don't hate you anymore," I continued, my voice steady. "Hate takes energy, and you aren't worth my energy. I hope you use these seven years to figure out who you actually are without my family's money carrying you."
I hung up the phone receiver, stood up from the chair, and smoothed my coat.
May you like
"Claire!" Ethan tapped frantically on the glass, picking up his receiver again, pleading silently.
I didn't pick up the phone. I gave him one last, polite nod, turned around, and walked out of the visiting room into the bright afternoon sun.
