Rise of the Worthless Son in law

3

Damon woke up to the steady beeping of a machine. When he tried to move, a sharp pain shot through his ribs, making him wince. His head hurt as he struggled to remember what had happened.

Where am I? he wondered, looking around.

Slowly, it came back to him—the woman that had saved him must have brought him to the hospital. But where was she now?

He noticed he was in a fancy VIP room, with elegant furniture and a view of the city skyline. It didn’t look like a regular hospital room.

He reached for his pocket and froze. His phone, ID, and most of his things were missing. Did someone steal them? he thought with a sigh.

Just then, the door creaked open, and a nurse stepped in.

“You are awake!” the nurse said as she adjusted his IV drip and gave him a sympathetic look. “A young lady brought you in last night. She didn’t leave a name, but she seemed very worried about you. Do you remember what happened?”

Damon clenched his jaw at the possibility that he might never see the woman again, and he never even got to ask for her name. He also wondered how long he had passed out. Then it suddenly hit him: the divorce meeting! His mind raced as he remembered that he was supposed to meet his soon-to-be ex-wife at 10 a.m.

How much time was left?

“What time is it?” he asked tensely.

“It’s just past eleven,” the nurse replied as she glanced at her watch.

He immediately felt tense. He had been unconscious, and he was sure Lily would have bombarded his phone with calls.

Tensed, he swung his legs over the bed, ignoring the protest from his aching ribs. He couldn't miss this meeting. It was the final step in ending the marriage that had long since lost its meaning.

The nurse looked alarmed. “You can’t get up yet! You’re injured and need rest.”

Damon ignored her as he put on his shirt. “I’ll rest later. Right now, I need to take care of something more important" He said before stopping out of the room.

*****

Lily and Tyler waited outside the court office.

Lily slowly walked around, her heels clicking on the pavement due yo laccl of patience. Her irritation only grew as each minute passed; she had agreed to meet Damon here at exactly 10 a.m. and it was almost 12pm. Where the hell was he?

Lily shook her head, clearly exasperated. "I can’t believe I ever thought Damon would actually show up on time.”

"He really is good for nothing!" Tyler seconded

"I'm going impatient, he better come here and not...."

"I didn’t realize you were so eager to see me,” Damon interrupted, making Lily and Tyler turn in their tracks.

They could see Damon leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and a smirk on his lips.

He had run over from the hospital, but as soon as he got to court, he saw the way Lily paced in annoyance, and that sight delighted him to waste their time some more.

Lily looked him over from head to toe, and what she saw was a huge epitome of embarrassment. She couldn't believe she had married him, a man who wore torn clothes.

Damon had clearly not made an effort to tidy himself up. His shirt was wrinkled, and his jeans were frayed at the knees, remnants of a man who had faced a rough night.

“You made it, asshole,” Tyler shot back with disguised mockery as soon as he set his eyes on Damon.

“Any reason why I shouldn't be?” Damon spat in anger as he set his eyes on the person who had sent men to beat him up last night...

The tension in the air thickened as Damon and Tyler locked eyes. Lily stood between them with frustration her face.

“Can we focus on the matter at hand?” she interjected, trying to regain control of the situation. “This is not some petty feud.”

Damon chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Oh, I’m sorry, Lil. Did I ruin your perfect little plan? Maybe if you didn’t keep your boyfriend on speed dial, I wouldn’t have had to deal with a bunch of thugs last night.”

Lily had no idea of Tyler sending thugs to Damon the previous night and for a brief seconds, there was a look of surprise flash from her eyes, but she quickly managed to conceal that, afterall Damon was a good for nothing nuisance.

She instantly stood in front of Tyler, calmed him down before shouting at Damon, “Enough!” Lily bellowed. “This isn’t the time or the place for this, Damon. We have a divorce to finalize.”

“Gladly, ex-wife to be,” Damon suggested. “The sooner we do this, the sooner you go back to your miserable life.”

Tyler clenched his fists tightly and got so anxious that his eyes turned red, he pushed lily off gently as his patience wears off, ready to escalate the situation. “You don’t get to talk to her like that.”

Lily immediately stepped in front of Tyler again as she tries to stop him. “Ignore him, baby. We won’t give him the opportunity to lash out. Let's just go inside and get this over with.” Lily said as she eyed him with disdain.

Damon scoffed.

Lily led the way into the courthouse, trying to ignore the nagging feeling that Damon’s reckless behavior would haunt her long after the divorce was finalized.

Once inside, they were directed to a small conference room with a table surrounded by chairs.

Lily and Tyler took a seat at one end, while Damon sat across from them, his gaze fixed on them with an unsettling intensity.

As they settled in, a lawyer entered, glancing over the papers spread out on the table. “Good morning. I’m here to help finalize the details of your divorce. I trust this is a mutual decision?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Miller!” Lily said, shooting Damon a disdainful look.

The lawyer nodded, before he passed the document to Lily who quickly signed it, then handed it to Damon, who took a brief pause before signing with a steady hand.

As soon as both party signed, Lily couldn't help but smirk. It was over. She was finally free.

Turning to Tyler, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with a lingering dramatic passion, finishing with a playful smacking sound thsy echoed judt enough for Damon to feel disgusted. She pulled away and smiled at Tyler victoriously, “I’m free at last, baby!”

“Yes, you are,” Tyler replied with a smug grin.

But Damon’s face betrayed nothing but a slight smirk. “Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, Lily,” he said mischievously

Lily’s eyes narrowed. “Is that a threat?”

Damon stood, then slipped his hands into his pockets and tilted his head. “Let’s just say…some things don’t stay buried forever.” With that cryptic statement, he turned and walked out, leaving Lily and Tyler momentarily speechless.