Dorothy barely slept that night.She tossed from one side of the bed to the other, staring repeatedly at the clock.Every time she heard a sound outside, she thought Raphael had finally arrived.Every time her phone vibrated, she reached for it immediately.But there was nothing. No call. No message. No apology. Nothing from Raphael.By morning, Dorothy's eyes were swollen from exhaustion, and her patience had almost completely disappeared.She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her phone."What is taking him so long?"She had expected Raphael to come back.In fact, she had expected him to return almost immediately.After their argument, she had assumed that he would spend a few hours cooling down before realizing that he had gone too far.Then he would come back.He always did.He would apologize.He would beg her to forgive him.He would promise to do better.And eventually, everything would return to normal.That was how it had always worked.But this time, something was differ

The phone rang several more times.Dorothy's heart pounded as she stared at the screen.Then, finally, the call connected."Raphael?"There was silence for a brief moment.Dorothy immediately straightened.She had prepared several things to say.She had planned to question him.She had planned to demand an explanation for returning to the Foster estate without her permission.She had even considered pretending that she was not bothered by his behavior.But before she could say anything else, Raphael spoke."Meet me at the courthouse."Dorothy froze."What?""The courthouse."His voice was calm."We're getting divorced."Her eyes widened."Raphael, what are you talking about?""I'm talking about our divorce.""Wait..."The line went dead.Dorothy stared at the phone.For several seconds, she did not move.She looked at the screen as though the call might somehow reconnect by itself.It didn't."Raphael?"Nothing.She pressed the call button.The call failed to connect.She tried again.

Raphael immediately understood what Mrs. Brooks was trying to do.She was not calling because she wanted peace.She was not calling because she genuinely cared about Dorothy's marriage.She was calling because she wanted to put him firmly back in his old place.She wanted him to lower himself, apologize, obey them, and return to the position where the entire Brooks family could dictate his life.For years, Raphael had allowed himself to be manipulated that way.Whenever Dorothy became angry, he apologized.Whenever Mrs. Brooks complained, he tried to make things right.Whenever Dorothy's younger brother needed money, Raphael provided it.Whenever the family needed something expensive, Raphael paid for it.He had given them cars, paid their bills, funded their lifestyle, and supported their endless demands.And every time he resisted, they reminded him that Dorothy had supposedly sacrificed everything to marry him.Now Mrs. Brooks was using the same weapon again.Raphael leaned back in

Just then, Dorothy's younger brother, Marvin Brooks, came home.The sound of his expensive car pulling into the compound immediately caught Mrs. Brooks' attention.A moment later, the front door opened, and Marvin walked inside as though he owned the entire place.He was dressed in an expensive designer shirt that Raphael had once bought for himself. His shoes were equally costly, and a gold watch glittered around his wrist. He carried the careless confidence of a young man who had never been forced to worry about the consequences of his actions.Marvin had been spoiled for most of his life.His parents had neglected him when he was younger, but somehow that neglect had never translated into discipline. Instead, whenever he got into trouble, someone else solved the problem for him.If he broke something, someone paid for it.If he got into trouble at school, his parents intervened.If he needed money, Dorothy eventually provided it.And after Dorothy married Raphael, Marvin's life cha

By the time Raphael arrived at the courthouse, Dorothy was already there.She stepped out of the car with her mother beside her, her face carefully composed.Dorothy had spent the entire journey convincing herself that Raphael would change his mind.She still believed it.She looked around the courthouse entrance and immediately spotted him.Raphael stood beside his car, dressed neatly, holding a folder in one hand.He did not look nervous.He did not look heartbroken.He did not even look angry.He simply looked calm.That calmness irritated Dorothy.She walked toward him."So you actually came."Raphael looked at her."I told you I would."Dorothy gave a mocking smile."I thought you would have changed your mind by now.""I haven't."Her smile faded slightly.Mrs. Brooks stepped forward."Raphael, let's not make this more difficult than it needs to be."Raphael looked at her."It doesn't need to be difficult."Dorothy folded her arms."You really intend to do this?""Yes."The answe