Chapter 5 - The Divorce He Thought He Controlled
Harrison filed first.
He served me with divorce papers during Emma’s school art show.
The timing was deliberate.
Parents, teachers, and children surrounded us when a process server approached and handed me the envelope.
Harrison stood across the room beside Patricia.
His mother wore a pale suit and a satisfied expression.
They expected me to cry.
I looked at the envelope, then at Harrison.
“We could have discussed this privately.”
“I tried,” he said loudly enough for nearby parents to hear. “But you are never available.”
Patricia placed a comforting hand on his arm, presenting him as the abandoned husband.
I refused to create the scene they wanted.
I knelt beside Emma and admired the painting she had made of our family beneath a bright yellow sun.
“It’s beautiful,” I told her.
“Daddy is taller than the house,” she said.
“He certainly is.”
That evening, Harrison delivered the speech he had prepared.
He wanted an efficient separation.
He wanted primary control of the house.
He wanted majority custody because my work involved travel.
He wanted me to waive any claim to Wescott Design Group.
He also wanted temporary support because he had invested so heavily in our marital lifestyle.
I listened until he finished.
Then I asked, “Is that everything?”
He frowned. “For now.”
“Rebecca will respond.”
“Rebecca who?”
“My attorney.”
He laughed.
“Claire, this does not need to become expensive. You cannot compete with my legal team.”
“I’m not competing.”
Patricia, who had invited herself into the conversation, leaned forward.
“You should be sensible. Harrison built everything you have.”
I looked around the living room.
The house was owned through an Aurelia trust.
The furniture had been purchased through my account.
The art on the walls came from a gallery in which Aurelia held a major stake.
Even the legal team Harrison had hired occupied offices in a building owned by one of my property companies.
“I will try to remember that,” I said.
Harrison mistook my calm for weakness.
During mediation, his attorneys portrayed him as a successful entrepreneur supporting an underemployed wife.
They presented financial reports valuing his company at thirty million dollars.
Rebecca asked one question.
“How much of that valuation depends on contracts originating from Aurelia Group or its affiliated companies?”
Harrison’s attorney hesitated.
“I do not see the relevance.”
Rebecca placed a document on the table.
“Seventy-one percent.”
Harrison looked at me.
It was the first time he seemed uneasy.
His lawyer recovered quickly.
“Mrs. Wescott has no known relationship with Aurelia Group.”
Rebecca smiled.
“We will address relationships when required.”
I said nothing.
The mediation failed because Harrison refused every reasonable custody arrangement.
He wanted control.
Patricia had convinced him that Emma was leverage. She believed I would surrender anything to avoid a public fight.
She was correct about one thing.
I would do anything to protect my daughter.
That included refusing to reward anyone who used her as a weapon.
The custody evaluation favored shared parenting with Emma’s primary residence remaining with me. Harrison’s travel schedule was more demanding than mine, despite his claims.
His secret strategy document also became part of the proceedings.
When confronted, Harrison blamed the consultant.
“I never approved those tactics.”
Rebecca displayed his handwritten notes.
His face changed.
Patricia later cornered me outside the courthouse.
“You are tearing this family apart.”
“Harrison filed for divorce.”
“Because you failed to support him.”
“I supported him more than either of you understands.”
She gave a bitter laugh.
“You always wanted people to think you were important.”
“No, Patricia. I wanted to know how you treated people you believed were not important.”
For once, she had no immediate answer.
Then she lifted her handbag.
“This family will be stronger without you.”
The gold card I had paid for was visible inside the open bag.
May you like
I looked at it and smiled.
“Perhaps you’re right.”
