Chapter 3: Divorced

"For five years, everyone knew we were married, and you went to prison for assault." "I lived like a widow, and people gossiped behind my back. Do you have any idea what that felt like?" "I give up everything to marry you. Is this how you repay me?" "Five years. Do you know how much mockery I swallowed, how many hardships I endured?" Faced with Marilyn's sobs, Luciano kept quiet. A hundred explanations crowded his tongue, yet looking at her like this, none of them came out. He knew she had a point. He could have called the police. Instead, he lost his temper and beat Hugo Campbell up. He dragged Marilyn down with him. On her wedding night, a woman could not even stay with her husband. She had to watch him being hauled off to Druginia Prison.  What a torment that must have been. "I know. It's on me. Marilyn, hit me, curse me if you need to. Just give me a chance. I'll treat you right. I'll make this up to you." Guilt gnawed at Luciano.  He finally reached out, trying to pull her into his arms. She pushed him away again. "For five years, you vanished. This place had no trace of you at all." "I asked everywhere for news, but got nothing." "Someone even told me you died in a car crash before they escorted you to prison." Tears streaked down Marilyn's face, and her voice climbed from a tremble to a raw wail. "You say you'll make amends. With what?" She looked as fragile as a leaf in the wind.  "Do you know how I felt when the call came last night? They told me you were getting out today. So you were here all along. And you never reached out to me." "I…" Luciano opened his mouth. He wanted to hug her and pour out five years of longing, lay bare the love that never cooled, tell her what he had lived through. But the weight inside her had to come out first. If she needed to vent, he would let her. "All right." The other woman at Marilyn's side spoke at last.  She rubbed Marilyn's back and looked at Luciano. "Luciano, right? You heard her. Marilyn doesn't want to be with you anymore. Your relationship has ended. Better to part ways cleanly." "Who are you?" Only then did Luciano see the woman.  She had short hair, thick cat-eye liner, and scarlet lipstick. "I'm Arya. Marilyn's friend." Arya's gaze carried open contempt, even as she fussed over Marilyn.  "I think we've made ourselves clear. This divorce agreement is what Marilyn drafted overnight. She doesn't need anything from you. We will compensate you. All you have to do is promise not to harass her." Harass? Heat flared in Luciano's chest. His eyes cooled to ice. He had come for his wife, and this was called harassment. "My marriage is between my wife and me. What business is it of yours?" His tone went flat. "I forgot to add, I'm not just her friend. I'm her business partner." Arya's voice stayed calm. "Our project is at a critical stage, and Marilyn is the lead. I won't let her lose it because of you." "So what?" Luciano said through his teeth. "You don't get to meddle in our marriage, and don't use work as an excuse." "Looks like you still don't know where you stand." To Arya, Luciano's outburst was nothing but impotent rage. She smiled scornfully. "What right do you have to question me? You're an ex-con who beat someone up. What can you even do? Make amends? You'll be lucky not to end up begging on the street." "The agreement gives you fifty thousand dollars, enough for a down payment on a small house and to get by." "As for your relationship, Marilyn has already done more than anyone could ask." "If you were a real man, try to be in her shoes. She waited this long, so stop being so selfish." "You…" Luciano felt fury claw at his ribs. Arya's words were humiliating. If Marilyn had said it, he could have borne it. From Arya, it was blackmail. "Enough!" Marilyn's voice cut across Arya's tirade. Arya shrugged. "Marilyn, don't be soft with him." "Arya, stop!" Marilyn snapped. Arya pouted and fell silent, still unimpressed.  In her eyes, Luciano did not belong in Marilyn's world.  Not as an ex-con, and not even before that. No money, no backing. She had no idea how Marilyn fell for him. "Luciano, don't blame Arya. This is what I want." Marilyn met his eyes, her voice thick with grief. "We aren't right for each other anymore. I accept what has happened over the past five years. I don't even blame you. Sign it, and let's part on good terms." Luciano shook his head. "I won't sign. Marilyn, we were together three years in college. I love you. I thought of you every day for five years." He would not accept a divorce. "I know this is cruel. But please, think of me. Think of how I lived these five years. We did have love, but do you think it could carry me this far?" "Don't waste breath on him, Marilyn," Arya cut in, disgust plain. "Think of yourself. The Campbell family has been taking over the Holmes family's business. You fought your family for him. What has he ever done except throw punches? A selfish man like him has no idea what you went through. And you still want to pay him? I say skip the payout." "What did you say? The Campbells have been taking over the Holmes family business?" Luciano's eyes went cold. The Holmes family was not prominent, but in Khester they were well-off, with two furniture factories and several storefronts. Compared to the Campbell family, it was no contest. Luciano realized Hugo attacked the Holmes family even though Luciano was framed and almost killed in a car accident. The thought clicked into place. Luciano lifted his hands, then set one on Marilyn's shoulder. "Marilyn, trust me. I picked up real skills inside. I will not let Hugo and the Campbell family off the hook." "You have skills? What skills? The art of bragging?" Arya almost laughed in his face. "Why not say you learned to build nukes in prison?" "Arya, please, don't!" Marilyn burst out, tears spilling again, breath coming fast. "Luciano, I don't need you. None of it has anything to do with me anymore. Let me go. Let's end this and owe each other nothing." Luciano's face went rigid. Guilt, regret, stubbornness, hurt, frustration, all slammed through his chest. He wanted to vent his anger. But one look at Marilyn's pale face, and his hand dropped. He had no right to rage at her. "I… I'll sign the papers." His chest ached, and he forced a wry smile. "The money will be wired to you. Keep your word and do not bother Marilyn again." A few minutes later, Arya settled an exhausted, tear-drained Marilyn into her Mercedes, then handed Luciano one copy of the agreement through the window. "I don't want the money…" The engine coughed to life before he finished. Arya pulled away. In the rearview mirror, she saw him standing there, looking completely lost. For a heartbeat, pity pricked her. She looked at Marilyn in the passenger seat. This was the right choice. Better a clean cut than a slow bleed that dragged Marilyn down. From this moment, Luciano and Marilyn had no relation. "Hey, isn't that Cooper's car?" A black Rolls-Royce Phantom swept past Arya's Mercedes. The plate read Khester A88888, famous across Khester as the car of Cooper Mills, the owner of Mills Corporation, hailed as the city's richest. The car was heading straight toward Druginia Prison. "Maybe some big shot is getting out today." Arya did not dwell on it. Cooper's world and hers were worlds apart. She took her eyes off the mirror and drove back toward the city.