Part 7

The divorce took months, not days. There were meetings about shared savings, a lease and furniture. Nathan's company negotiated with its creditors independently. Elise's attorney made sure the apartment building remained protected, subject to the agreements and laws that applied to their marriage.

One morning the bank sent a final letter confirming that the loan had never been funded and the disputed application had been closed. Elise placed it in a folder with the other records. She did not celebrate the letter as revenge. It was proof that she could stop waiting for an unknown bill to arrive.

Mara later met Elise for coffee at a public café. They compared what Nathan had told each of them, and some details remained painful. Mara explained that she had left the project and was working elsewhere. Elise told her she appreciated the warning.

“I wish I had known sooner,” Mara said.

“So do I.”

They did not make promises to stay in touch. They parted kindly, each free to decide what came next.

Elise repainted the hallway herself. She kept the warm lamp, replaced the console where Nathan's phone had rested, and bought a small table for her books. When the work was finished, Diane visited with takeout and announced that Elise's painting was uneven.

Elise laughed for the first time that week. “Then you can help with the second coat.”