He tries the drink and sighs with pleasure. “Lovely,” he says. “Just what I needed.” He clears his throat and takes out a stack of papers. “I’m afraid this won’t be pleasant. I wish I were here for a better reason but unfortunately not.”
My hope falters. “What’s wrong?”
“Kellen sent me to find you and void the contract we signed. The one regarding your, ah, marriage, and the gardens and the house.” He smiles awkwardly and shoves the pages toward me. “Sorry to say it, but he believes the contract is no longer valid, given certain, uh, circumstances. Legally speaking, you could fight this. If I were your lawyer, I’d suggest you give it a shot—there’s an early termination clause somewhere and I believe he’d owe you significant money. But as a man that doesn’t want to see anyone get hurt, I suggest you simply sign and walk away. Kellen seems very, er, upset about all this, and he doesn’t seem to handle his emotions very well.”
I stare at the paper. It’s the real contract, the one I remember, but VOID has been written across each page in big red letters. I stare and stare and feel my hope fade away like a puff of smoke on a breezy day, and it’s like being sent away a second time.
Kellen isn’t handling this well.
Kellen might hurt me if I don’t sign my name.
He’s not coming for me.
I’m not going back.
It’s over.
Really, truly over.
I’m numb as Albert walks me through everything. There are papers at the end to sign, and I write my name with a shaking hand. Ink splatters and smears. He doesn’t seem to mind. When it’s over, my agreement with Kellen is finished.
There will be no land, no garden, nothing.
My association with Kellen Hayle and the entire Hayle family is done.
Albert gathers everything up and stands. He makes small talk and I barely hear him. My ears are ringing and my blood’s pulsing through my body so fast it’s like it wants to burst through my capillaries and squirt from my pores. I wondered if this would happen and a part of me knew it would and yet—I didn’t want to believe.
I didn’t want to give up.
And now whatever shred of hope I held on to shivers and dies.
I walk Albert to the door. He hesitates on the porch, wiping his forehead.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks, looking around awkwardly. “If there’s anything I can do—”
I blink at him and shake my head. “No. Thanks.”
“Right. Well, Tara. It was nice to meet you and I wish you all the best luck in the world.” He gives me another pathetic grin and turns to leave. He gets a few steps away before it hits me.
One last thing. The final loose end. The tether keeping me connected back to Phoenix and the Hayle family.
My final connection to Kellen.
“What about the marriage?”
Albert hesitates and turns to look at me. Slowly, he shakes his head. “That wasn’t part of my job.”
“That wasn’t a divorce?”
“Kellen sent me here to void that specific contract. He didn’t say anything about divorce papers.”
“I’m still married to him?”
He nods and shrugs. “If you want, I can get you in touch with a divorce lawyer, and—”
“No, thank you, Albert.”
I close the door and lean against it, processing.