“How long has it been since you’ve seen or heard from him?” Nicole whispers as we wait for the judge to call me in.

Six days and fifteen hours.

“Why are you asking about this?” My voice is quiet but full of frustration. I’m about to have my divorce finalized, and she’s worried about when I last saw Noah.

She shrugs. “I’m curious. What else would you like to talk about?”

I look at her as if she’s lost her mind. “I don’t know, the fact that my marriage will be officially over in a few minutes.”

Nicole leans forward, glances to where Scott and his two lawyers sit, makes a face, and leans back. “Good riddance. Now you can think about the deliciousness that is more than willing to take a bite of your peach. Maybe he’ll even lick it a little or drink your nectar.” She wiggles her brows.

After over twenty years of friendship, I should know better than to bring her in public. However, it doesn’t stop the burst of giggles that escape my mouth.

“Shh.” She takes my hand in hers as I try to get myself under control. “You’ll get us in trouble.”

“You’re the one talking about drinking my nectar.”

“I’m the one you called because you knew I wouldn’t be all sad.” She nudges me. “I’m your friend that takes the shit and turns it to diamonds.”

She definitely is that person, and it’s why I had her come with me. Nicole may be the only one of us who stayed single, but I’m the only person who knows why. I was the one who held her hand on her darkest day, so I wanted her to see me at my low point.

Today, I will endure watching the man I thought I’d grow old beside end that dream. I wanted Nicole to remind me that even when I’m down, I’m not out. She’s living proof of it.

“Thank you for being a diamond.” I squeeze her hand.

“You’re welcome.”

“The judge would like to call Scott McGee and Kristin McGee forward please,” the court clerk announces.

“This is the end.” I stand and fix my skirt.

“This is the beginning, Kris. The end to misery and the start of something you get to determine. I love you, and I’ll be here when you’re done.”

I nod and hug her.

My lawyer places her hand on my shoulder and nods. We walk in silence, my heart pounding against my chest as we enter the courtroom. I stand on one side and Scott stands on the other. It’s sad that this is where we are. After all the years of trying to close the gap between us, it’s now an ocean, and I can’t see the land.

There’s no denying the anguish that flows through me. I look at his profile, remembering how much I loved him. Memories of us when we were young assault me. The smiles, laughter, and silliness that I thought would never end. How his eyes were filled with love as I walked down the aisle of the church in my wedding dress, believing I would love him until the day I died.

Maybe I did die. That naïve girl is long gone. I’m not the same as I was, just as he isn’t.

The judge speaks, reviewing all the paperwork, but I can’t focus on it. It seems so easy when you hear your marriage broken down into bullet points. We’re just two people. Assets, visitation, alimony, and numbers.

We were more than that once.

My lawyer taps my arm, forcing my attention back forward. “Mrs. McGee, are you aware of the change of filing grounds regarding the dissolution of your marriage?”

I glance at my lawyer and she shakes her head. “No,” I say with confusion.

Who changed the grounds? My lawyer didn’t say a word.

“Mr. McGee submitted the paperwork late last night claiming that you committed adultery during the duration of your marriage, and you’re not entitled to any support due to the financial constraints this caused. He claims it should be on the record that you used his finances to fund your affair.”

My lungs won’t fill with air. I can’t believe this. He is out of his goddamn mind. “That’s completely untrue,” I tell Clarissa. “I’ve never been unfaithful.”

Scott’s lawyer pipes up. “Mr. McGee has just learned of this, which is why we haven’t submitted proof.”

The judge shakes her head. “So, this is an accusation? One you thought you should file just in case?”

Tears fill my vision as I stare at Scott. Is he that unglued? He’d try to hurt me this much? When Danielle said this was possible, a part of me didn’t believe it. No way would he want to do that to his children. Seems I was stupid to think he gave a shit about anything but himself and money.

“One that, if we were granted enough time to further investigate, we could prove the validity.”

No, he couldn’t because it isn’t true. I’ve never done anything questionable. I loved him even when he made me feel small. I didn’t seek comfort in another man regardless of how unworthy he told me I was.

She chuckles. “Mr. Sheridan, am I to believe that you submitted a charge against Mrs. McGee without any sort of receipts, text messages, or testimony to back your client’s claim? You thought that by stating it to be true, then your client wouldn’t have to pay his financial share. Am I right?”

“If we could have an extension, your Honor—”

“No.” She cuts him off. “There will be no extension. If you actually had a shred of evidence, you would have presented it.”

My attorney, Clarissa, grips my hand and squeezes. I close my eyes and breathe in through my nose. Scott isn’t the only one who has the ability to change the claim. Peter called Clarissa and sort of instructed her on what route to take.

We spent the last week gathering information in case he tried to pull some shit.

“Your Honor,” my attorney speaks. “If Mr. Sheridan would like, we have sufficient evidence to prove the emotional abuse that Kristin McGee endured throughout the fourteen years of marriage to Scott McGee.”

Her eyes meet mine, and I see a flash of empathy. “Really?”

“This is unfounded and ridiculous!” Mr. Sheridan shouts.

The judge looks back to him. “You see, Mr. Sheridan, it isn’t unfounded if she is able to provide documentation and such.”

My lawyer presents the various letters from friends and family, screenshots of emails, text messages, and the transcripts of a voicemail he left that proves he was screwing Jillian while we were still married.

I didn’t want to do this. It was a necessary precaution, but he left me no choice. It’s all in black in white, the years of hell I’ve worked hard to hide and the lies I’ve told everyone about how great Scott was, are all refuted in her hands.

He wasn’t great.

I was just too weak to walk away—until now.

The judge reads through it, removes her glasses, and pauses. “Divorce is always emotional. It’s my job to remove the emotion from it and be fair. I’ve been doing this a long time, and this is my least favorite type of case.” Her eyes move between Scott and me. “I can’t presume to know what happened to bring you both here today, but I can say that there are two people in your lives who don’t yet know the real ramifications of your choices. Your children are going to struggle, but you have the power to decide how much they suffer.”

Everything inside me hurts when I think about Finn and Aubrey. While we’re adjusting to living without Scott, I see the difference in their eyes. My goal has always been to protect them, which is why I never wanted to present him in a bad light. That doesn’t mean I deserve to be raked over the coals because he’s a selfish asshole.

She clears her throat. “I don’t like games, Mr. McGee. I don’t like liars. More than those, I don’t like people who think it’s okay to put others down in order to build themselves up. If you truly thought your wife was having an affair, why wait to file until the day before? I’ll tell you why,” she says before he can answer. “You knew it was completely false. So, after reading the evidence and lack of evidence, it’s my discretion to decide what it all means in regard to the division of assets and the best interests of the children.” Her eyes meet mine. “Mrs. McGee, did you work throughout the marriage?”

“No, your Honor. My husband felt it was best I stay home with the kids since we could afford to lose my income.”

“And you and the children vacated the house?” she asks.

“Yes.”

“Mr. McGee,” she calls his attention. “I do not believe your wife was unfaithful. I do, however, believe that you were emotionally abusive based on the information that was presented. I urge you to seek counseling for the welfare of yourself and your children. With that said, you are to pay durational alimony for the next seven years, child support, as well as provide medical coverage for both Mrs. McGee and the children.”

Scott lets out a low noise, and I breathe a sigh of relief. My job is great, but the pay is not the best, and I can’t expect Heather to let me live in her home forever. This will allow me a little breathing room.

The judge finishes the paperwork, and we’re done.

We’re divorced.

Scott walks over to me with anger radiating off of him. “This is your fault. All of it.”

My first instinct is to cower, but I stop myself. Noah’s words echo in my ears: “You think you’re weak, but I see a strong, beautiful, and smart woman who deserves a man who will worship her. More than any of that, Kristin, I should walk out and let both our lives be a hell of a lot less complicated than trying to start something, but here I am. You’re worth complicating things.

I stand a little taller and look him in the eyes. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but you’re not my problem anymore, and in all honesty, I don’t give a flying fuck.”

My legs feel like jelly as I walk away. Each step I take away from Scott gives me a bit more strength back.

Nicole gets to her feet as soon as I come into view. “Done?”

“It’s done. I’m single, and we’re done,” I say, and my lip trembles.

“Not here.” She takes both my hands in hers. “He doesn’t get to have any satisfaction. You smile right now, okay?”

I push back the tears and plaster a fake smile on my face. Scott walks past, glaring at me, but I stay strong. He won’t see me break ever again. He’s seen enough of that.

It’s time to rebuild the bricks he tore down.

“What the hell?” I laugh as all my friends, who are gathered in my living room, toss confetti in the air.

“Happy divorce day!” Heather yells as she wraps her arms around me. “You’re not going to be alone tonight, and we’re going to celebrate.”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. My heart is severed in half, each side is at war with the other, trying to see whether I’m broken or can be healed. There is no guidebook on how to handle a divorce. I hate that there’s even a sliver of sadness. Scott doesn’t deserve even that much from me, but denying it won’t change the fact that I am sad.

“I’m not sure guys,” I say, which makes Danielle’s lips turn down.

“Do you remember when Heather and Matt’s divorce was final?” Nicole asks. “Wasn’t it you that organized the intervention to ensure she wasn’t sitting at home eating her disgusting cookie concoction?”

I hate when they’re right. I hate it even more that I did for Heather what they are doing for me now, and I don’t want it. “Still, I’m tired.”

Heather shrugs. “Slumber party it is!”

There are no boundaries with this group. We don’t care if someone wants to be alone or wallow in self-pity, we’ll just join in without an invitation. The kids are with my parents for the weekend, and they aren’t leaving, so I might as well make the best of it.

We grab the bottles of wine and park our asses on the couch. For the first hour, we talk about plans for Heather’s wedding, which is in a little over two weeks. She got engaged a few days ago, seriously Eli is ridiculous with being so good to her, and I try to focus on how happy I am for her. Each detail she shares about the things he’s doing allows little pieces of sorrow to creep in. She’s my best friend, whom I love more than I can say and who deserves to be happy, but I wish I weren’t so newly single.

“I still can’t believe you’re getting married in less than a month and then moving to Canada!” Danielle shakes her head.

“I know, it’s insane, but Eli got the movie role and I want to be with him.”

“I’d want to be with him, too,” Nicole adds on.

I bob my head in agreement. “For real. Don’t let a man like him out of your sight.”

Danielle raises her glass. “It’s like when I decided that I should go to college away from Eddie. Big mistake. Beginning of the end.”

Here we go again. Danielle, when she drinks, talks about her ex, who she swears was her literal soulmate. The one God hand-picked for her and as a punishment for not being nice to him, sent him away.

“Oh, for the love of God!” Nicole bursts out laughing. “You know he’s married with kids and . . . so are you! You were that whacko who would’ve married him when you were fifteen.”

“At least when I was fifteen I could’ve married someone,” Danni counters.

And then the fight between Nicole and Danielle begins while Heather and I shake our heads.

The conversation shifts for the next hour as we laugh about the stupid things we did when we were young. I don’t know how these stories never get old, but they don’t.

“Do you think Mrs. Yoder still has nightmares about Nicole?” Danni asks. “That poor woman retired from teaching after you.”

“She was crazy! She needed someone to show her that she was losing her damn mind.”

Heather waves her hand and bounces. “What about when Nicole got caught having sex with Mr. Fink under the stairs!”

I laugh, snorting wine from my nose. “Oh my God! I forgot about that. I really hope you got an A in physics. I mean, you earned that shit.”

“Why are all these stories about me? Oh, wait, because I’m the one who actually does shit that’s story worthy.” Nicole pulls her knee to her chest. “Unlike you boring asses.”

She’s always been the one doing crazy things, but she makes no apologies for it.

“Calm down, Scary Spice.” Heather sighs. “We’ve all done our fair share of stupid crap.”

“Hell yeah, you all have! I’ve got stories because when you three do something, guess who you call? Me. You call me, so I know all your secrets.”

The three of us look at each other with wide eyes. What the hell have they done that I don’t know about?

Nicole bursts out laughing as we study each other. “I love you guys so much. Let’s find out what we really want to know.” She grabs my hand. “How bad did Scott have to pay?”

They let me go this long without questions, I guess it’s time to fill them in on the drama that today was. I recount the divorce hearing for them, loving the faces they make. It’s still a little surreal to think he tried to accuse me of cheating on him. There isn’t a chance that he believes that shit.

“I’m so glad we’re never going to have to be around Asshole anymore,” Nicole says as she props her feet on the coffee table. “I really would like to chop his nuts off.”

“Seriously, maybe he and Matt will become best friends.” Heather giggles.

I drain another glass of wine before refilling it again. “Well, I still have to deal with him every other weekend. I’m sure he’ll parade Jillian around now that we’re divorced and he can throw it in my face.”

The more I drink, the more I realize how much I hate him. He is a prick for trying to screw me out of money like that. I left the damn house. I never said a word about his slutty secretary he was banging. I didn’t ask for jack shit, and he feels like I’m entitled to nothing after fourteen years of marriage? Fuck that.

“Don’t worry about her, honey, you’ve got Noah Frazier sticking his tongue in your holes!” Nicole laughs and slaps my leg.

“What?” Heather gets to her feet.

“Nicole!” I screech. “Do you seriously not know how to keep your mouth shut? So much for all our secrets.”

She shrugs. “I’m pretty sure that your mouth was what was open.”

I roll my eyes and throw a pillow at her as she wiggles her tongue.

“Hello! You kissed Noah?” Heather demands my attention. “When? Where? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I really thought she knew. “It was no big deal.”

Danielle coughs with a laugh. “Until he told you he’s going to win your heart.”

“Jesus Christ! You guys suck!” My hands fly in the air.

Heather stares at me with her hands on her hips. Thanks to big mouth one and two, I might as well tell her.

“Fine. Yes, I kissed Noah when we went to our dinner thing. Then he came over here the other day, telling me how he felt and that he had feelings for me. However, I haven’t seen him since then.”

A slow smile spreads across her face. “Then tonight is your lucky night. Eli and Noah are on their way here to pick me up.”

Of course they are.