Page 95 of Choosing My Happiness
The magistrate continued talking, breaking down the assets, everything I’d kept for Daisy, dividing them into neat piles. I panted out a shaky breath, barely comprehending the magistrate’s words. It was like I’d taken a blow to the head. I felt concussed. The lawyer I’d managed to get stood beside me and nodded.
“We agree with this,” she stated clearly.
I lowered my gaze to look at her, stunned. I didn’t agree. I didn’t agree with any of it. I wanted to open my mouth and tell her. But my lawyer gave me a fierce side eye, and beyond her, I saw Daisy glance back behind her.
She looked happy. She looked really happy. She’d never looked like that with me. There’d always been a touch of tension in her face when she was with me. Now she really was glowing. I looked to where she’d been looking in the public gallery. Midwife sat with a smile on his face. He didn’t look at me. He was staring completely at her, smiling at her, and focused on her. A woman sidled into the seat next to him and smiled at him as she bumped into him. He only threw that gorgeous woman a frown and pulled away, before turning back to Daisy.
“Mr. Lovelace!” my lawyer snapped at me.
I blinked and focused on her. “Do you agree? It’s a very generous offer.” At my blank look, the lawyer hissed, “She’s giving you the house. She’s just taking the car and her jewelry. You get everything else. It’s a great offer.”
My mind spun. “You don’t want the house?” I croaked out.
Daisy shook her head. “Too many bad memories there. Besides, you have Dylan, and he needs the space a house can give,” she explained gently.
My mind was still spinning. “But where will you live?” I asked.
She grinned and looked at Midwife. “I’ve got a place. I’m moved in already,” she said. He grinned back at her. Genuinehappiness. I had nothing left to give her, to make her hold onto me, to make her stay with me.
* * *
“That was nice of you.” Shaquilla’s voice was dry as it floated over to where I was sitting in the park.
I cleared my throat. “What was?” I felt like I was pushing broken glass through my vocal chords instead of words.
“Insisting on giving Daisy the money. Even Darcy didn’t expect that.” Shaquilla sat down beside me.
She was the only person to notice me. All the brothers who had come to the courthouse were too busy congratulating Daisy and Midwife.
“Why?” I whined, waving a hand at them. “What does he have that I don’t?”
Shaquilla huffed and looked at the happy couple. “It’s what he doesn’t have. He doesn’t have other girls around him who know what his cock feels like inside them.”
I choked back a sob, unsuccessfully. “They were just a bit of fun. I always came home to her,” I whined.
“They weren’t fun for her. They were evidence that you didn’t treasure her. They were agony,” Shaquilla explained.
I knew she’d told me this before, but it was sinking in.
“Molly put up with it,” I tried. We both looked over at the old woman standing, bouncing on her toes on the outer edges of the group surrounding Daisy. She looked like an eager puppy desperate for attention.
“Do you really want that?” Shaquilla asked. “Because that’s what she could have turned into if she stayed with you.”
I shuddered and then felt sick. She was right. If I was behaving like Matchstick, then Daisy could so easily have turned into Molly.
I looked again at Daisy and Midwife and watched her stroke his chin while she looked adoringly into his eyes. I coughed. She’d never looked at me like that, with so much trust, so much love. I coughed again, trying to dislodge whatever it was that was choking me.
“Oh Blaze, it’s your own fault. You had to chase her away by being a selfish dick.” Shaquilla put her arm around to rub my back. The tenderness broke me, and I buried my face in my hands. Tears were flowing through my fingers. It was really hitting me. I’d lost her, and she was never coming back to me.
68
Chapter 68: Daisy
Jim drove me to my final meeting with Blaze. We were meeting at the house to complete the separation of assets. That is, I was picking up all the crass jewelry that he’d given me, and my old car, which was much better than what I’d been driving around in. I didn’t think the next woman would appreciate the glimmering crap any more than I did, and if she did, he could buy her fresh stuff instead of recycling mine. Then, I was going to take it all to the pawn shop. The only thing I needed was the car. Jim had made me take my old car to the junk yard before we left the city.
Blaze was waiting outside the house, thankfully alone. Molly had been increasing her efforts for reconciliation, but I couldn’t see her anywhere here.
Jim pulled up against the curb. “Are you sure you want to do this alone?” he asked.
