"The divorce papers are printed and on the desk. Go sign them. City Hall closes soon. We need to hurry."
His expression froze.
I stepped past him and walked to the door to change my shoes.
As I passed, I caught a whiff of perfume on him.
Gardenia.
My favorite flower, once. I hadn't bought one since.
"Oh, by the way," I turned back and smiled at him, "your peace lily. I forgot to water it. It's dead."
Lewis pressed his lips into a thin line.
The warning sign before his temper.
I didn't care. "After the divorce, I'm walking away with nothing. Including this apartment. It's all spelled out in the agreement. If you don't believe me, go read it."
"But Edamame is mine. I know you're the one who got him, but you've been gone for years, and I'm the one who's been taking care of him. I can't give him up."
"I've got the divorce paperwork and the move to deal with these next couple of days, so I won't have time for him. I dropped him off at a pet boarding place yesterday."
Silence.
I looked up. Lewis had closed the distance between us.
He stared at me, hard.
Just when I thought he was about to interrogate me, he laughed.
"Baby, who coached you this time? Switching up the playbook? You want a divorce?"
I blinked, then met his gaze with absolute seriousness. "Nobody coached me, Lewis. I want a divorce. For real this time."
When he saw how serious I was, he suddenly burst out laughing.
"Babe, quit joking around. If you divorced me, where would you even go?"
"You're an orphan. No parents, no family to run home to."
"Oh, right! You said you don't want any assets. You've been a housewife for how many years now? You walk away with nothing, then what? What are you going to do?"
"Paint? But babe, you haven't picked up a brush in years, and nobody knows your name. You really think anyone's going to buy your work?"
Every word he said.
My heart sank a little deeper.
Lewis ruffled my hair with that indulgent smile of his. "Alright, stop throwing a fit. The girl's on her period today, she's in a bad mood, and I need to go keep her company. I'll have my assistant transfer some extra money to your account later. Consider it making it up to you."
He picked up his car keys, still smiling, and walked out.
I watched his retreating figure.
Lewis, I'm not throwing a fit this time. I genuinely don't want to be with you anymore.
I looked down at my phone and messaged a lawyer:
Can I file for divorce unilaterally?