They arrived at Velmora City Hall quicker than Maeve expected. The white stone steps gleamed under the morning sun, and she walked straight in, heels clicking against the marble, her heart oddly calm.
Fred was already there, flanked by his bodyguards as if he were some king about to execute judgment. His blue eyes met hers and instantly darkened into a frown.
Once upon a time, that look would have broken her. Once upon a time, she thought she loved this man more than her own breath. Maybe she did. Maybe if he hadn't destroyed her, she'd still be standing there hoping for his approval.
"Brother Fred, please have mercy on my sister," Mirabelle gushed, rushing to his side like the dutiful angel she pretended to be, fingers clutching his arm as tears glistened in her eyes. Maeve rolled her eyes.
How had she been so blinded by all of this?
The old Maeve would have fallen for her act, maybe even cried and thanked her for defending her. But she knew better now. Mirabelle's sweet face was just a mask.
Fred finally opened his mouth, his voice dripping with self-righteous pain. "How could you, Maeve? After everything I've done for you, this is how you repay me? You betray me?"
Maeve almost laughed. His tone was that of a disappointed parent, not a man who'd ever cherished her.
"You chased me all over the industry for years, always proposing to me, just to cheat on our wedding night."
He shoved a stack of papers at her. "Here are divorce papers. Sign them, so we can end this madness." Fred said. This was his moment to see her kneel and beg him.
Mirabelle had been the one to initiate the whole things about Maeve being cheated on in other to boost their fame and career more. If an artist from his record level trended very well, that meant, his label would be treading as well. It was all a marketing strategy and Maeve was only a pawn in their game.
The old Maeve would have dropped to the floor, begged him to forgive her, and humiliated herself in front of everyone. But that Maeve was long dead.
"Whatever happened last night was a mistake, Mr. Orchard," she said evenly accepting the accusations before him. This was because she didn't want him to take back the divorce papers. She really wanted to be done with Fred.
Eve tilted her head and added, "But it was also your fault, Mr. Orchard." Fred's frown deepened, his pride pricked.
"If you weren't so busy playing knight in shining armor for Mirabelle last night," she continued, "you might have noticed when I was dragged away."
Mirabelle snatched her hand back from him, her perfect act faltering. Was Maeve admitting to cheating? But she had told her something different.
Fred sneered, his voice rising. "You're a grown woman, Maeve. Don't you dare shift your shame onto me. You made your choices. Own them!"
"Mirabelle is your younger sister, she's like a sister to me too. How can you be jealous I took care of her?" he added.
Maeve let the word slide off her, "On our wedding night?" She yelled back.
"I am your wife, Fred. Your first responsibility. If you can't protect me, then I see no reason to keep this farce going either. I am more than willing to sign the papers."
Fred's eyes widened like she had slapped him. Even Mirabelle froze, her mask slipping into shock. Did they really think she would crawl back and beg to be his wife again?
That would be over her dead body.
"Maeve, what are you saying?" Mirabelle rushed to her side, tugging at her arm with fake concern, but her eyes gleamed like she had already won. Fine. She could have him.
"You're in the wrong, sister. Apologize quickly and save your marriage," Mira whispered next to her.
Maeve faced Fred directly. "I've been unfaithful, Fred Orchard. I don't deserve you. I'm so sorry, I think this divorce is the best."" She smiled and Fred felt like he was going to go crazy. She was divorcing him all smiling. But he thought Maeve was obsessed with him?
Was this another trick of gaining his attention again? He smiled. This stupid bitch. But he would commend her for always trying to win him back.
"T... that's not what I meant," Mirabelle whispered again.
"You said apologize, and I did just that."
"No. If you'd just kneel before him, Maeve, and act like a wife for once, everything will be settled," she added, but Maeve's next words caught her off guard.
"I'm not a wife then." She shrugged. "Mr. Orchard, with open heart, I accept this divorce."
Maeve reached for the papers, but Fred hesitated, his pride screaming against it. Finally, he handed them over.
Mirabelle gasped, "Maeve, don't do this! Are you still drunk? How can you betray Brother Fred like this?"
"You're the one wrong here, yet you dare be so arrogant." Mira continued. "Stop trying to seek attention for once in your life and do the right thing."
Fred cut her off, puffing his chest. "Let her be. Just know this, Maeve, once you sign those papers, it's over. Don't come crawling back later, begging me for another chance."
Maeve smirked, enjoying the crack in his perfect mask. "Don't worry, Mr. Orchard. I wouldn't dream of it."
She signed the papers with a steady hand, then they walked into Civil Affairs to make it official. The law imposed a one-month mandatory waiting period, which meant they were technically divorced but still tied together. Divorced in name, bound in practice.
"Maeve, please," Mirabelle whined as they stepped out, clinging to her sleeve. "Think about this again. You love Brother Fred more than anything in this world. How can you leave him?"
Maeve rolled her eyes. "If you love him so much, Mira, you can have him. I don't want him anymore."
She didn't look back as she strode toward her car.
----
Back home, Maeve scrubbed herself raw under steaming water, as if soap and scalding heat could erase his touch, his scent, the memory of his skin on hers. No matter how hard she tried, he clung to her like poison.
She wanted to know who he truly was. She needed to know. But before anything else, she had to get tested.
For STDs...
For sanity...
For the strength to keep standing tall.