From Fake Divorce to Real Fortune Novel – Chapter 1
I was scrolling through a Facebook parenting group, half-listening to Sophia chatter about her day at preschool, when a post caught my eye.
Anonymous.
[My wife’s become a real nag. How do I get her to agree to a divorce without a fight so I can be with my new girl?]
The top comment, sickeningly pragmatic, laid it all out.
[Easy. Tell her there’s a huge career opportunity overseas, but it requires you to be single for visa/company policy reasons.]
[Get her to agree to a ‘temporary’ divorce. Promise you’ll still live together, send money, everything stays the same.]
[Then you’re free with your new girl, and the old ball and chain is back home taking care of your parents and kid.]
A wave of nausea hit me.
It was too close to a bad joke.
The next evening, my husband, Jack, walked in from work, his face lit up with an excitement I hadn’t seen in years.
“Em, you won’t believe this! BMW is offering a management training program at their headquarters in Germany! It’s a massive step up.”
He paused, then dropped the other shoe.
“Only catch is, for some corporate reason, participants need to be officially single. So, we’d need to get a … symbolic divorce.”
The Facebook post flashed in my mind.
I kept my face neutral.
“Germany? For how long, Jack?”
“Two years, tops. But think about it, Em! I’d come back as a regional manager. Double the salary, easy. This is for us, for Sophia, for our future.”
He saw the hesitation I couldn’t quite hide.
“It’s just paperwork, honey. A formality. We don’t even have to tell anyone. Nothing changes between us. I’ll send my paycheck home every month, just like always.”
He took my hands, his gaze earnest.
“You trust me, right? This is our big break.”
Trust him?
The word felt like ash in my mouth.
There’s no such thing as a “symbolic” divorce. A divorce is a divorce.
The last shred of warmth I held for him withered.
I forced a small smile.
“Okay, Jack. If it’s that important for our family, I’ll do it.”
His relief was palpable, almost indecent.
“Great! We should do it quickly then. The deadline for submission is soon.”
He was already halfway to Germany in his mind.