Graham clutched the divorce decree, the official seal glaring under the light, his knuckles whitening from the force of his grip. The vivid red stamp and the judge’s signature beside it burned into his vision like a hot iron, igniting a surge of absurd, offended rage.
Divorce? She actually dared.
How could she end their marriage without even telling him?
A tidal wave of fury smashed through his initial shock. He spun toward the door and barked,
“Frank! Get the car!”
The military jeep tore through the streets, kicking up clouds of dust, then screeched to a halt
outside the County Clerk’s office in Evermont.
Graham flung the door open; his combat boots struck the worn cement with heavy, rapid thuds
that rang in the sparse, cavernous hall.
A menacing aura radiated from him as he strode to the counter and rapped his knuckles hard against the wood.
“Where’s your county clerk? Get him out here now!” His voice, laced with barely contained anger,
carried an unmistakable command.
A young clerk, startled by his intensity, peered nervously from behind a green partition. “G–General Sterling? Mr. Blackwell is out on business… How can I help you?”
“Help me?” Graham slammed the divorce decree down on the counter; the force rattled a nearby tablet. “What the hell is this? I wasn’t here. I didn’t sign anything. Who approved this? What kind of operation are you running?”
The clerk’s face paled as he glanced at the document; his voice trembled.
“General Sterling, this… this is a no–fault divorce petition submitted by Ms. Evelyn Hart. According to regulations, if one spouse files an affidavit stating the marriage is irretrievably broken with no chance of reconciliation, we can-”
“No–fault divorce? That’s nonsense!” Graham cut him off, his voice rising and drawing curious
glances from the few people in the hall.
“She’s young and impulsive, throwing a tantrum. You didn’t even try to talk her down? You just pushed this through without a second thought? Where is she? Call her in now. I’m taking her home myself!”
Chapter 10
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The clerk shrank under his glare but forced out, “Ms. Hart left after submitting the paperwork.
She didn’t leave an address…‘
“General, she was very firm. It didn’t seem like a spur–of–the–moment decision. She provided all the necessary documentation, and we verified everything per protocol…”
“Firm? What documentation could she possibly have?” Graham wasn’t listening. He was convinced Evelyn was acting out to challenge him in an extreme bid for attention. “I don’t care about your protocols. Reverse it. Now.”
The clerk’s expression tightened; he glanced away, unwilling to argue.
Graham’s frustration boiled over at the clerk’s hesitation, fed by a deeper, gnawing disbelief.
He could not accept this–could not fathom that something he’d nurtured and guarded for years had suddenly declared its independence and been granted it.
It was utterly ludicrous.
He grabbed the glaring decree from the counter, his face dark with resolve, and stormed out. The jeep’s engine roared to life as he sped off.
One thought consumed him: find her. Find her now. Drag her back and make her understand what she could and could not do.
Then everything would snap back into place–she would be his again, the obedient, dependent
wife who needed him.
That stubborn arrogance, that unshakable need for control, became the root of all his coming pain.
Chapter 10
