He Called Divorce Papers A Joke I Called It Done Chapter 09

He Called Divorce Papers A Joke I Called It Done Chapter 09

The nightmare wasn’t over. Declan’s test results came back positive for HIV.

When the news reached both families, the humiliation was instant. The Hayeses. The Quinns. Harper’s entire social circle. Nobody was spared from the scandal.

“This was because of you.” Declan’s eyes were bloodshot, locked on Harper. Her face drained of all color. “You did this to me.”

“No… that’s not true — you didn’t get it from me.”

Declan’s eyes shut. His whole body sagged like something inside him had finally snapped.

Suddenly, a memory hit him. Back when Harper first moved back, a mutual friend at a party had pulled him aside.

“Harper was sleeping her way through Europe, man. Just watch your back.”

He’d laughed it off. Told the guy to mind his own business.

He wasn’t laughing now.

The news leaked within hours. By the next morning, the Hayes-Quinn scandal was all anyone could talk about.

Once the paparazzi swarmed, the hospital quietly transferred them to an undisclosed facility. Neither family wanted anything to do with them anymore.

The elders on both sides practically went into hiding, suffering massive stress-induced health scares. And then, just like that, Declan and Harper were gone.

Vanished. Some people said their families had shipped them abroad for treatment. New names, new country. Gone for good.

Others said Declan pushed her down a flight of stairs. That she lost the baby, and then her life. That he ended his own life not long after.

The rumors spun out of control. The stories contradicted each other. I stopped listening.

None of it had anything to do with me anymore.

Life moved on. Mia learned to walk.

She looked like a wobbly little duckling, all joy and no coordination. Sunlight caught her face, soft and golden.

She looked like a clumsy little bunny, all joy and no coordination. Sunlight caught her face, soft and golden.

I crouched down and held out my arms. She squealed and launched herself straight into me.

I held her tight, chin resting on her soft hair. I was smiling before I even realized it.

Turns out, life without Declan wasn’t the end of the world.

It was just Mia and me. And we were happy.