You aren't going to fight for our marriage. No. The answer came so quickly that she actually leaned back. Peter, you made your choice before tonight. That's not fair.
I didn't say it was. She lowered her voice. I thought you'd be angry. I am. You're not acting angry.
I'm not going to shout across a restaurant. She looked away toward the river. I thought after 15 years you'd at least try to stop me. I looked at her carefully. If you wanted me to stop you, you wouldn't have spent five months building another relationship.
She had no answer. The waiter returned with our food. Neither of us touched it. Alice finally whispered. What happens now?
I picked up my fork. Now we get divorced. Her head snapped toward me. You mean that completely? For the first time that night, Alice looked uncertain.
Not guilty. not heartbroken, uncertain. She had expected me to fight. She had expected anger, pleading, maybe even promises to change. Instead, I had accepted what she said. I looked across the table at my wife of 15 years.
You wanted another life, Alice. I put my fork down. Now you can have it. Alice didn't speak much during the drive home. I didn't either.
The city moved past the windows while she sat beside me with her hands folded in her lap. She looked like she was waiting for me to say something that would change what had just happened. I wasn't going to. When we reached the house, Alice followed me inside. She took off her shoes and stood in the hallway.
Peter. I turned around. Are you really serious about this? Yes. You made that decision in one dinner?
No, you did. She looked down. I didn't think you'd react like this. How did you think I'd react? I thought you'd be angry.
I thought you'd ask me to reconsider. I am angry, but you're acting like you don't care. I looked directly at her. Don't confuse control with not caring. That shut her up.
I walked into my office and closed the door. Our marriage was ending. I wasn't going to spend the night arguing about why. I opened my laptop and checked our joint accounts. Most of our finances were already separated.
We had always kept our business and personal accounts organized, but there were still shared savings. The house, investments, and several expenses that came out of the same account. I made a list. Nothing dramatic, just numbers. The next morning, I called Michael Lawson, a divorce attorney recommended by a business associate.
He answered on the second ring. Michael Lawson. Michael, my name is Peter. I need to discuss a divorce. Are you looking to file or respond?
File. There was a short pause. How long have you been married? 15 years. Children?
No. Any immediate concerns about assets or business interests? I own a company. She doesn't have ownership in it, but there are shared personal assets. Then we'll need to be careful.
That's why I'm calling. We scheduled a meeting for Monday morning. Before leaving the house, I went through our financial records and downloaded copies of everything I might need. mortgage statements, investment accounts, tax returns, insurance documents, property records, business records that showed exactly what belonged to the company and what belonged to us personally. I wasn't trying to punish Alice. I was protecting myself.