He Called Divorce Papers A Joke I Called It Done Chapter 01

He Called Divorce Papers A Joke I Called It Done Chapter 01

We’d set up a little tradition for my daughter Mia Hayes’s first birthday—setting out a tray full of trinkets to let her grab one, and see what she picked. Declan Hayes, my husband, had arranged the whole thing himself.

My daughter reached in and pulled out a lace thong.

The whole room went dead silent. Everyone froze — except Harper Quinn. She gasped and blinked at me with those big innocent eyes.

“Oh my God, my bad — Declan and I were messing around the other day, and I must’ve dropped that in there. Just ignore it, Elena.”

I swallowed my anger. Smiled for my daughter. Let her reach in again.

This time, her little fist closed around a stack of papers.

I barely glanced at them — figured someone had tucked in a check or a savings bond for the baby. Then Harper, standing next to Declan, burst out laughing.

“God, Elena, you didn’t even look. What did you think it was, the deed to a house?”

She pulled a few pages free and tossed them across the table at me. That’s when I finally saw what my daughter had been holding.

Divorce papers. Mine and Declan’s.

I turned to Declan. “Is this you? Do you want a divorce?”

He didn’t answer. He shifted — just slightly — putting himself between me and Harper.

Harper leaned around him, all smiles. “It was just a prank. Don’t take it so seriously, Elena.”

“Just a prank? What’s the matter, Declan — you chickening out?”

Every guest at the table was staring at me. I didn’t cry. Didn’t scream.

I picked up a pen and signed. Every pair of eyes in the room went wide.

“Fine. I’ll give you a divorce.”

After all, the whole point of the game was to honor whatever my daughter picked.

***

The color drained from Declan’s face the second I signed. “Are you out of your mind?” He snatched up the papers. “Harper slipped these in as a prank. They’re not real.”

“A prank? So you accidentally had them drafted? Accidentally signed them?”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “You really think I’m that stupid, Declan?”

Harper rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Elena? It was a dare. Declan lost at truth or dare, and that was his punishment. Everyone was just having fun.”

“Look, if it bothers you that much, I’ll tear them up right now. And I’ll make sure she drops it. Okay?”

Harper was already reaching for the papers, irritation flashing across her face. Declan’s jaw tightened beside her.

“It’s a joke. If you’re gonna make this big a deal, fine — I’ll tear them up. Happy?”

“Enough!”

That one word — directed at me. Not at her. At me, for making a scene.

Something inside me snapped.

“A joke. It’s always a joke!” My voice cracked. “She flushed my wedding ring down the toilet. She cut my dress to shreds.”

And you called it a joke.

“When I was pregnant, she dumped water all over the floor, and I slipped. I went into labor two months early.”

You said she didn’t mean to.

“Then she put a dead mouse in our daughter’s blanket while I was out. My baby was so traumatized she cried herself sick and ran a fever for three days straight.”

You called that a joke, too.

“And now — now she’s ruined our daughter’s first birthday, and you’re still standing there telling me it’s a joke!”

I stepped closer. Locked my eyes on his. “What if I slipped something into her wine tonight and told you it was a joke?”

The words barely left my mouth before Declan’s hand shot out and knocked the glass out of Harper’s hand. It shattered against the floor.

A shard sliced my ankle. Blood welled from the cut. Declan didn’t even glance down. His eyes were already on Harper.

Something in me went completely numb. Not angry anymore. Just — nothing.

I shoved the papers against his chest, picked up my daughter, and walked out.

“I’ll be at the Oakwood County courthouse tomorrow morning.”

He caught up to me in the entryway and grabbed my arm.

“Why are you doing this? You know how Harper is. She’s been like that since we were kids — she doesn’t think before she acts.”

I said nothing. He sighed, dropped his voice. “Fine. I’ll talk to her. I’ll tell her to knock it off.”

He still didn’t get it. Even now, standing in the doorway with his hand on my arm, he hadn’t realized I was done.

“It’s still her birthday, Elena. Can we not do this right now?”

“Oh, so you do remember it’s her birthday? Could’ve fooled me. I thought this was your engagement party with Harper.”

The bitterness sat in my chest like a stone. He’d let her mess with every single item on that tray. Our daughter’s birthday, and he handed it over to Harper like it was hers to play with.

I was the one married to him. But he’d walked in wearing an outfit that perfectly matched Harper’s.

“Anyone walking in off the street would think she’s your wife, Declan. Not me.”

I searched his face for something — guilt, shame, anything. There was nothing. He just shrugged. “We grew up together. We’re just friends. Why are you so jealous of her?”

“Friends.” I looked at the mark on his neck — the one he’d sworn was a mosquito bite. “You know exactly what you two have been doing, Declan. Don’t make me say it out loud.”

“Wow.” Harper’s voice cut in from behind me. Somewhere along the way, she and her friends had followed us out. “I show up to your kid’s birthday, and this is how you treat me?”

She turned to Declan, eyes already wet. “You’re just gonna stand there while she drags my name through the mud? She’s literally making me out to be a homewrecker!”

“You know what, forget it. If you can’t take a joke, then fine — I’m done. You’ll never have to see me again.”

She pulled out her phone and blocked Declan’s number, making sure I saw every tap.

“There. Problem solved. Now Elena can stop accusing me of trying to steal her husband.”