Jayson was busy looking after his future mother–in–law. He probably didn’t even have the headspace to reply.

The court date was already set, but Ariel still hadn’t gotten Elena’s wedding ring back. Once the divorce was finalized, it would be even harder.

Still, Ariel had no desire to deal with Jayson anymore. If he refused to give it back, she’d take him to court.

Ariel reached out to Janice and asked her to help find a good lawyer. She’d be bringing that lawyer with her to the courthouse on Monday.

If they could settle things peacefully, great. If not, she’d see him in court.

She wanted the divorce, and she wanted the Walker family heirloom, too.

When Janice heard they were finally finalizing the divorce, her first reaction was to snark, “Divorcing the day after Valentine’s Day? That’s a new one. I’ve never heard of it.”

Ariel didn’t respond.

She hadn’t told Janice the full story because the latter would surely blow up with her short fuse.

Janice, in a good mood, said, “Anyway, you’re finally free. Let’s go out tonight. My treat. We’re celebrating!”

Ariel, for once, felt relaxed. “Sure.”

On Sunday, at the marital home, Georgia gave Ariel a call.

“Mrs. Larkin, Mr. Zeller dropped off a big box yesterday. He said it’s yours. I took a quick look, and it’s full of unopened men’s clothing. Should I do the laundry, or are you coming back to iron them?”

Ariel frowned. She hadn’t expected this. “What clothes?”

“Mr. Zeller said they were gifts you bought for Mr. Larkin. They’d been sitting in his office. Mr. Zeller said Mr. Larkin thought they were taking up space, so he had them sent back. I guess he wants you to deal with them.”

Ariel’s head cleared.

Right, she had asked Colton to pass some things along to Jayson. No wonder she’d never seen him wear any of it. He must’ve just let them collect dust,

Well, this wasn’t her problem anymore.

“You can throw them out,” Ariel said calmly.

Back then, she used to iron all of Jayson’s clothes herself, so Georgia had gotten used to calling her.

Georgia sounded surprised. “But they’re all brand new! Some of them even look—”

“Georgia, don’t ask me about his things from now on,” Ariel cut her off. “Handle it however you want.”

With that, she hung up. She got up and pulled open the curtains, feeling a sudden clarity wash over her.

On Monday, Ariel got up early and packed everything she needed for the divorce.

Jayson had set the appointment for 9:00 am. Her place was over six miles from the courthouse, and she didn’t want to risk being late because of traffic.

So she grabbed her bag and took the subway.

She left at 7:30 am and arrived just before 8:30 am.

She wasn’t one to make people wait. It was better to get there a little early.

As soon as she arrived, she texted Jayson. “I’m here.”

She grabbed a queue number and waited in the main hall.

Time passed. It was getting close to 9:00 am.

The lawyer Janice had hired for her had already shown up, yet there was still no sign of Jayson.

Ariel hesitated, then finally gave in and called him.

But as soon as the call connected, a robotic voice came through. “Sorry, the number you’ve dialed is no longer in service.”

Ariel frowned.

No longer in service?

She tried again but heard the same thing.

A knot of dread twisted in her gut.

What kind of situation would make a number suddenly go out of service?

Just as panic started to set in, Jayson’s cool, detached voice sounded from behind her, “Sorry, I got held up.”