Chapter 5: Coffee, Claws, and Ultimatums

— IV —

Sam had probably never been yelled at like this before. He looked at me like he wanted to eat me alive.

But I didn’t care. I just felt relieved.

He stared at me, gritting his teeth. “Are you sure you want a divorce?”

I put the divorce papers and pen in front of him, showing him how serious I was.

His expression shifted several times before he finally signed, pressing so hard he nearly tore the page. He didn’t even glance at the contents.

I raised my eyebrows. Suddenly, I felt like I should’ve asked for more. Money—who doesn’t want more?

Sam stormed out, face dark, radiating anger.

Watching him go, I called after him, “Bring your ID and marriage license. I’ll be waiting at the courthouse tomorrow morning.”

He paused, then left without looking back.

Seriously? Rude.

The next morning, I woke up at dawn. 6 a.m.—I was furious. Years of habit, no alarm needed, my body just woke up on its own. Another reminder that my devotion had gone to waste.

Sam Sanders, you absolute jerk.

I buried my head in the covers, trying to sleep, but couldn’t. So annoying.

After tossing and turning for over an hour, I finally got up, ate breakfast, and headed to the courthouse.

I waited for Sam—waited two hours until my patience ran out. He never showed.

Now I was really pissed.

Sam Sanders, you jerk!

I drove straight to his company. Caleb looked terrified when he saw me.

“Mrs. Brooks, the president’s in a meeting. Would you like to wait in his office?”

I must’ve looked awful, but I didn’t give him a hard time. I went straight to Sam’s office.

No sooner had I sat down than there was a knock at the door. Nina Summers walked in—timid as ever.

As the sweet heroine, she wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but her features were pleasant—pure, delicate, like a little flower. The kind that makes people want to protect her.

“Miss, here’s your coffee!”

Miss?

I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know who I am?”

Nina’s big eyes widened. “You’re Mr. Sanders’s wife.”

I smiled. “So you do know. Interesting. Everyone here calls me ‘Mrs. Brooks,’ but you call me ‘Miss.’ What, don’t want to admit I’m Sam Sanders’s wife?”

She flustered, waving her hands—forgetting she still held the coffee. The hot coffee spilled all over her hand.

She screamed, face turning white.

I stood up, wiping my hands on Sam’s suit jacket hanging over the chair.

“Soup yesterday, coffee today. What, are you cursed to spill things?”

“With hands that clumsy, you’d have been fired ten times over anywhere else. But Sam keeps you around—must be true love!”

I’ll give her this—she didn’t back down. Nina looked mortified but stubborn. “Ms. Brooks, Mr. Sanders and I are just colleagues. I admit I made a mistake today, but there’s nothing inappropriate between us. Please don’t slander me.”

I tossed Sam’s jacket on the floor like trash.

“Just colleagues? Let me tell you what that means. Every other secretary keeps at least an arm’s length from him. None of them brings him breakfast or makes him lunch, or sits shoulder to shoulder with him at meals.”

“And look—every secretary here wears business attire, heels, and makeup. Except you. You’re in sweats and sneakers, no makeup. What, did the company make an exception just for you?”

Nina’s face turned green, then white. She was about to argue when I looked past her. “Understand, Mr. Sanders?”

Nina spun around. When she saw Sam, her eyes filled with tears as she tried to look strong.

“Mr. Sanders…”

He walked over, face dark. She looked at him hopefully, but he didn’t even glance at her—instead, he came straight to me.

He grabbed my hand. “What happened?”

Only then did I realize—my hand was burning. I looked down—red marks on my fair skin, where the coffee had splashed.

Seeing how much he seemed to care, I felt nothing but apathy.

I pulled my hand free. “None of your business.”

Sam’s face darkened. “What happened?”

Nina bit her lip, eyes glistening. “Mr. Sanders, it was my fault. I accidentally spilled the coffee.”

He finally noticed her trembling hand and frowned. “Alright, go take care of it.”

“Caleb, go buy some burn ointment.”

“Yes, Mr. Sanders. Right away.”

Nina glanced at Sam, then turned and left, still stubborn.

I snorted. “What’s with the star-crossed lovers act? Makes me look like the villain breaking up true love.”

Sam glared. “Mariah, isn’t it enough to cause trouble outside? Now you have to come here and make a scene?”

I’d been bracing myself, but it still hurt to hear him say it. I stared at him, expressionless. “What, seeing me bully your little sweetheart hurts your feelings? Too bad—I’m still your wife, and that gives me the right to put homewreckers in their place.”

“If you really cared about her, you shouldn’t have stood me up. I waited two hours at the courthouse. Where were you? Not even a call. Only your time matters? Who doesn’t have a million things to do? Sam, be decent!”

Sam’s face grew darker. “Courthouse? Why would you go there?”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Why else? Sightseeing? Obviously to get divorced!”

“You think signing the divorce agreement yesterday was a joke?”

That did it. That really pushed me over the edge. My mind went blank, vision darkened, and I collapsed.

“Mariah!”

Sam caught me as I fell. The dizziness passed quickly, but his scent made me nauseous—something I used to love, but now it just made me want to vomit.

I shoved him away and dry-heaved.

“Mariah.”

Sensing he wanted to come closer, I snapped, “Stop. Don’t come any closer. Your smell makes me sick.”

He froze.

After a moment, he growled, “You done now? What do you want?”

I felt awful—physically and emotionally. Maybe it was the pregnancy, but emotions crashed over me like a tidal wave.

I turned and glared at him. “Divorce. I want a divorce. Right now!”

The words hung in the air. Sharp. Final. The only thing left standing between us.

This time, I wasn’t bluffing.