Chapter 5 - The Legal Counteroffensive
Two weeks later, the legal proceedings began in earnest.
I sat in the high-ceilinged conference room of my legal counsel, Marcus Thorne—a veteran family and corporate attorney who had represented my father’s estate for over two decades. Opposite us sat Ethan and his court-appointed defense attorney. Ethan looked like a ghost of his former self. He had lost weight, his posture was slumped, and the polished glow of corporate success had completely evaporated.
"Mrs. Vance," Ethan’s lawyer began, adjusting his glasses and opening a folder. "My client is prepared to sign a full, uncontested divorce settlement immediately. He will forfeit all claims to the residential property, personal bank accounts, and joint investments, provided that you submit an affidavit to the state prosecutor indicating that the corporate financial discrepancies were a matter of internal misallocation rather than intentional fraud."
Marcus Thorne chuckled softly, leaning back in his leather chair. "Mr. Davis, with all due respect, your client is offering us things that already belong to my client. The estate is held in a pre-marital trust. The joint accounts were liquidated by court order following the fraud indictment. You are offering us copper in exchange for gold."
"We are talking about a man's life here!" Davis insisted, glancing at Ethan, who remained staring blankly at the polished mahogany table. "If this goes to trial under federal grand larceny charges, Ethan is facing fifteen to twenty years in a maximum-security facility!"
"Then he should have considered the sentence before he set up dummy corporations in Ohio," I interjected, speaking directly to Ethan.
Ethan finally looked up, his bloodshot eyes meeting mine. "Mabel... please. Is there no mercy left in you? We were married for seven years. Seven years! Doesn't that count for anything?"
"It counted for everything," I said, my voice steady. "Until you returned home, placed your arm around me, and told me that if I acted blind, I could remain your wife. You traded seven years of loyalty for a puppet show, Ethan. You assigned a price tag to my dignity."
"She tricked me!" Ethan suddenly shouted, slamming his fists on the table, pointing an accusing finger at thin air. "Chloe... she manipulated me! She told me her family was starving! She said her brother needed help! I only did it because she pressured me!"
I shook my head slowly. "Save the victim act, Ethan. I’ve seen the wire logs. You initiated the transfers. You drafted the false invoices. Chloe was an accomplice, yes, but you were the architect."
Marcus Thorne pulled out a fresh stack of papers and slid them across the table toward Ethan’s lawyer.
"These are our non-negotiable terms," Marcus stated. "First, an immediate, uncontested dissolution of marriage with zero alimony or spousal support claims from Mr. Vance. Second, full cooperation with Vance Global’s internal audit team to recover remaining hidden assets. Third, a complete surrender of all stock options and retirement portfolios associated with Vance Global to compensate for legal fees."
Ethan’s lawyer scanned the document quickly, his eyebrows rising higher with every line. "This leaves my client with literally nothing. He will be completely bankrupt."
"He has his freedom to defend in criminal court," Marcus replied coldly. "That is more than enough for him to focus on."
Ethan looked at the pen sitting on the table. His hand trembled as he reached out to pick it up. He looked at me one last time, searching my face for a single sign of hesitation, a flicker of the woman who used to love him unconditionally.
He found nothing. I was a mirror, reflecting only his own ruined reflection back at him.
With a deep, shuddering breath, Ethan pressed the pen to the paper and signed his name on the final line of the divorce decree.
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"It's done," Marcus said, taking the signed documents and stamping them with official seals. "As of today, Mrs. Vance, you are officially divorced."
I stood up, buttoned my coat, and picked up my bag. I didn't say goodbye to Ethan. I didn't look back as I walked out of the room. The air outside the courthouse was crisp and clear, and for the first time in three years, I felt like I could breathe deeply.
