“Dramatic? Your mother insulted my dignity in front of the whole family and you joined in on the fun.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal, Jordan.”

That sentence was the final nail in the coffin of our marriage.

I walked over until I was standing inches away from him, refusing to back down.

“The first time we had dinner, your mother asked for my father’s tax returns, and the second time, she told me my voice sounded too ‘common’.”

Tyler shifted his weight and looked at the floor.

“I was just trying to keep the peace and get everyone to get along.”

“No, you were trying to keep me quiet so your inheritance wouldn’t be threatened by a messy conflict.”

His face hardened with a mixture of pride and irritation.

“My family is complicated, and you knew that when you signed up for this life.”

“Your family is cruel, Tyler, and you are a coward who hides behind their shadows.”

Those words clearly stung him, but it was far too late for apologies.

I grabbed my suitcase and walked past him without another word.

I spent the night in a quiet boutique hotel near the harbor where no one knew me as the trophy wife of a Harrison.

I showered and slept fitfully, watching the city skyline glow as the sun began to rise over the water.

My phone wouldn’t stop vibrating with messages from my board of directors and legal counsel.

The Miller Tech IPO was scheduled for that morning, at the exact same time I was supposed to sign my divorce papers.

I arrived at the government building at nine-thirty and found Tyler already waiting there with Cordelia and Brielle.

My mother-in-law was wearing oversized sunglasses and exuded the same haughty energy of a queen visiting a peasant village.

“Well, look at this, she actually showed up to face the music,” Cordelia sneered.

“I’m here to finish what should have ended years ago,” I replied calmly.

Tyler looked at me with a confused expression, sensing a change in my posture that he couldn’t quite explain.

I wasn’t the woman who bowed her head anymore or whispered so as not to disturb the “distinguished” family peace.

I took a ticket from the kiosk and sat down to wait.

My phone buzzed again with a message stating that the media was already gathering at the exchange.

“Are you still playing on that toy as if you have important business to attend to?” Brielle mocked.

I ignored her completely until the clerk finally called our number.

“Reason for the filing?” the clerk asked without looking up.

“Uncontested divorce,” I stated firmly.

Tyler handed over the folder of documents, and the woman began typing our information into the state database.

Suddenly, she paused and frowned at the screen before looking back at me.

“Wait a moment, is your name Jordan Miller?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Jordan Elizabeth Miller?”

I felt Tyler tense up beside me as the clerk began typing much faster with a newfound sense of urgency.

Cordelia let out a loud, impatient sigh.