He pulled a check from his pocket and dropped it on the floor in front of her.
Ten thousand dollars.
Payment for her efforts.
He asked her to leave before his lawyer arrived.
Security escorted Olivia out of the house while rain poured down.
She stood on the sidewalk with her carelessly packed luggage and watched the front door close.
Brandon watched from the balcony above, sipping champagne.
That night Olivia slept in her car in a grocery store parking lot.
Ten years of marriage. Three years of devoted caregiving.
And all she received in return was a check on the floor and a walk into the rain.
Three weeks later, divorce papers arrived.
When Leonard’s attorney later contacted them for the official reading of the will, Brandon called Olivia with the impatient tone of someone handling an annoying task.
“My father probably left you a photo or something sentimental,” he told her. “Just show up, sign whatever they need, and that’s it.”
The meeting took place in a polished conference room.
Brandon sat confidently at the head of a large table surrounded by financial advisors.
When Olivia entered, he motioned toward a chair at the back.
“Just sit there and stay quiet,” he said.
She did.