My Grandmother’s Ashes, My Wife's Divorce Paper novel Chapter 4

Robert pretended to be surprised.

"What's wrong? Did you two have a fight?"

"He dared? He's the one who brought up divorce," Ava said, her voice dripping with condescension. "All because you gave me a necklace."

Robert tried to hide a smirk, his eyes already showing contempt.

"Oh, come on, Lucas. It's not a big deal."

"I was actually going to give that necklace to my mom, but she doesn't wear jewelry."

"I thought it'd be a waste, so I gave it to Ava."

"I know Lucas, he won't mind. It's all good."

Robert's words were dripping with manipulation, making it feel like I was the one being unreasonable.

I glared at him, turned, and walked away.

"Hey, come on, Lucas, it's all a misunderstanding!"

"Enough, Robert."

"He's just being stubborn, let's go," Ava snapped.

In the days that followed, Ava completely ignored me.

She purposely avoided me, not giving me a chance to talk.

Every time I mentioned divorce, she acted like she couldn't hear me.

We'd had our fair share of disagreements over the years, but Grandma was always there to calm me down, make me something she knew I liked, and play peacemaker.

To Grandma, marriage was about sticking together through the rough patches.

But now Grandma was gone.

And I had woken up.

I realized the truth—being a doormat would get me nowhere.

It was time for a divorce.

One afternoon, while I was working, my boss called me over to help "Mr. Smith" move a few water jugs.

Mr. Smith was, of course, Robert.

Ever since that night at the hotel, he'd been promoted to General Manager, with an office just across from Ava's.

My boss, a classic brown-noser, was one of Robert's favorites and liked to make my life difficult.

Normally, I would've just done it, but I had an old injury and couldn't lift heavy stuff.

When I refused, my boss's face went red with anger.

"Lucas, you're going to do this, now! It's an order!"

"You're a grown man, can't even lift a few jugs?"

"What's wrong with you?"

Before I could get out, he shoved me.

I wasn't expecting it and slammed into the desk, hitting an old injury.

The pain was so sharp I almost passed out.

Just then, Ava and Robert walked by, holding hands.

"What's all the noise about? Is it playtime or something?"

Ava said, her hands on her hips, not even glancing at me.

My boss immediately started groveling.

"Mr. Noah, Lucas isn't following orders."

"He's causing a disruption."

"I'll make sure he's disciplined, don't worry."

Robert jumped in, feigning concern.

"What did he refuse to do that's got him so upset?"

"I asked him to move some water jugs, and when I yelled at him, he threw a fit."

Ava finally looked at me, her eyes cold.

"Lucas, over something so small, you're arguing with the boss?"