Page 12 of Prognosis Irreconcilable Differences

‘I want a divorce.’ Seconds ticked by. Nathan looked at her blankly, and she continued. ‘When all this is done — I want a divorce. I think we’ve dragged this out long enough.’

It was time to move on. Way past time.

Nathan couldn’t have been more surprised had she slapped him in the face. Divorce had always been one of those things on his to-do list. But life had been insanely busy. He’d been building an empire and everything else had fallen by the wayside.

At the back of his mind he’d always assumed she’d initiate proceedings, and he knew he would never have held them up. He would have signed what was needed. But she hadn’t, and life, his empire, had taken precedence.

Now, standing here in front of her, looking at her for the first time in a decade, it seemed so...final. He knew legally severing their connection was merely a formality — apart from the loan, they’d not had a thing to do with each other in a decade — and he knew without a doubt that she wouldn’t want a single thing from him.

But suddenly it didn’t seem so clear cut.

Did he want to live in a world where Jacqui wasn’t at the end of an invisible string? Even if it had taken him until now to give it a good hard tug?

He shook his head. This was crazy. He was close to his dream. And that was paramount. He wasn’t going to let two days back in her company derail his purpose. A divorce was a cheap price to pay for what he wanted. He should be Mexican waving.

The nerve jumped in his rigid jaw again. ‘I’ll see to it.’

The heavy finality of his words was like the bells of doom heralding a tragedy, and Jacqui couldn’t believe she was even considering a fake reconciliation.

‘We won’t be able to make dinner tomorrow anyway, Nate,’ she said, staring directly into his eyes for one last appeal. ‘The whole area is flooded. The rivers won’t be down again for days. We’re not going anywhere.’

Nathan smiled at her. He’d won. ‘Lucky for me, I own a helicopter.’

---