Chapter 10 - The First Battle of the War
The mediation room in the downtown courthouse was sterile,
bright,
and painfully cold.
I sat on one side of the long,
rectangular oak table,
with Maya sitting calmly beside me,
her briefcase resting by her feet like a loaded weapon.
The door clicked open,
and Caleb walked in,
followed by his expensive,
slick-haired attorney,
Mr. Sterling.
Caleb wore a sharp,
navy blue suit,
his hair perfectly styled,
and his posture radiating false confidence,
and arrogant superiority.
He didn't even look at me as he sat down,
treating me with the same dismissive indifference he had shown during the last years of our marriage.
The mediator,
a stern-looking woman with gray hair,
read the standard opening statement,
urging both parties to find a mutually beneficial resolution to avoid a costly trial.
Mr. Sterling cleared his throat,
opening his polished leather folder,
and offered a condescending,
smug smile across the table.
"My client is prepared to be generous,
despite the abrupt,
and aggressive nature of this filing,"
Sterling began,
his voice smooth,
and oily.
"We are offering a fifty-fifty split of the house equity,
and a modest alimony payment for two years,
provided your client signs a non-disclosure agreement regarding the reasons for the divorce."
Maya actually laughed out loud,
a sharp,
barking sound that made the mediator jump slightly.
"A non-disclosure agreement?"
Maya asked,
leaning forward,
her eyes locking onto Caleb's pale face.
"Are you worried about your reputation at the firm,
Caleb,
or are you worried that your other girlfriends will find out you're broke?"
Caleb's jaw tightened,
a vein throbbing dangerously in his neck,
but he remained silent,
letting his lawyer fight his battle.
"Let's keep this professional,
counsel,"
Sterling warned,
frowning deeply.
"That is our final,
and best offer."
Maya did not speak,
she simply reached into her briefcase,
and pulled out a thick stack of printed documents,
sliding them across the smooth wood toward the opposing side.
"We reject your offer,"
Maya stated clearly,
her voice ringing with absolute authority.
"And we are counter-offering with the following terms."
She slid a second piece of paper across the table.
"My client keeps the house in its entirety,
she receives seventy percent of your pension,
and she claims sole ownership of the assets hidden in the Cayman Islands account,
as well as the True North LLC property."
Caleb choked,
a literal,
audible gasp escaping his throat,
as his eyes bugged out of his head,
staring at the documents.
Sterling looked confused,
picking up the papers,
his smug expression dissolving into genuine,
unfiltered panic as he read the forensic accounting report.
"This is absurd,"
Sterling stammered,
turning to Caleb,
who was sweating profusely,
his hands shaking violently on the table.
"You didn't tell me about these accounts,"
Sterling whispered harshly to his client,
forgetting that we could hear every word.
"How did you find this?"
Caleb demanded,
finally looking at me,
his arrogant mask completely shattered,
revealing the pathetic,
terrified little boy hiding underneath.
I thought about Mark,
about the little black notebook,
and about the gray anniversary blanket that had started this entire war.
I looked him dead in the eye,
feeling nothing but cold,
absolute victory.
"I know everything,
Caleb,"
I said,
my voice echoing in the quiet room.
"I know about the money,
I know about Tessa's diary,
and I know exactly how much you are going to lose."
He slumped back in his chair,
burying his face in his trembling hands,
realizing that he had played a dangerous game,
and he had monumentally,
catastrophically lost.
Maya closed her folder,
standing up,
and adjusting her blazer with a satisfied smile.
"You have twenty-four hours to sign the counter-offer,"
she told Mr. Sterling,
who was furiously packing his briefcase,
clearly furious with his lying client.
"Or we go to trial,
and this all becomes public record."
We walked out of the room,
May you like
leaving Caleb alone with the wreckage of his own making,
and for the first time in twenty-one years,
