Divorce

Her

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**Part 1**

Sarah had assumed that Ruby wouldn’t perform well this time because an overwhelming storm had shaken both her mind and body. First came her parents’ divorce, followed by the custody battle that reached court. Ultimately, Ruby was placed with her mother, while her father was ordered to cover all her expenses. Yet, none of this seemed to affect Ruby at first, as she had never seen her parents argue in front of her.

It was only when she had to appear in court that she realized something was seriously wrong. Even though she, her mother, and her father traveled to court in the same car, Ruby noticed that neither of her parents spoke a word to each other. When they arrived, her father walked off in one direction while her mother took Ruby with her in another.

The lawyer repeatedly instructed Ruby to say she wanted to stay with her mother if the judge asked, but deep down, Ruby wanted to stay with both her parents.

Standing in the courtroom, Ruby was stunned to see her mother and father on opposite sides. When the judge asked who she wanted to live with, Ruby glanced at her father, then at her mother, and said, “I want to live with both my parents.” Since she was under eighteen, the judge ruled that Ruby would stay with her mother while her father would bear all expenses for her education and other needs.

That day, Ruby hugged her father on the courthouse balcony and cried uncontrollably. Her mother promised that Ruby could visit her father whenever she wanted. Her mother cried too, but her father remained indifferent. As they parted ways, her mother bid her father farewell, saying, “Take care and be happy.” This incident left a deep scar on Ruby’s mind. She now understood that her parents’ divorce was final.

What she didn’t understand, however, was why it had happened. The entire ordeal felt like an impossible event she had been forced to witness.

Back home, Ruby fell asleep without eating, and her mother didn’t call her to dinner. However, Sarah appeared calm, as though she felt liberated. She could no longer endure Ryan’s betrayal—the man she had trusted with all her heart.

Sarah had loved Ryan blindly and had even married him against her father’s wishes. Her father, James Talbot, a prominent real estate magnate and owner of vast wealth in New York, had strongly opposed the marriage. But in the end, he reluctantly agreed for his daughter’s sake.

Sarah was James’s only child. Her mother had died during childbirth, and from then on, James had been both father and mother to her. Many people suggested James remarry, but he always refused, saying, “I don’t want my daughter to have a stepmother.”

His determination left others silent. Over the next twenty-five years, James devoted himself to raising Sarah, who eventually completed her MBA at Columbia University. It was there that she met Ryan. Their love grew during their university years and eventually led to marriage.

Sarah and Ryan were known as the most admired couple on campus. One day, Sarah introduced Ryan to her father, saying, “Dad, this is my best friend, Ryan.” James immediately understood what she meant.

Over dinner, James asked Sarah, “Is he just your friend, or is there something more? And what does he do?”

Sarah replied, “He doesn’t have a job yet, Dad, but he’s brilliant. He’s confident he’ll achieve great things soon and plans to become a university professor.”

“How do you know all this?” James asked.

Smiling, Sarah said, “Dad, we’ve discussed it together. We love each other and want to get married.”

James put down his utensils and stood up. As he left the table, he said, “I had planned for you to marry my friend’s son—a successful businessman. Think carefully, Sarah. Life is lived only once; you can’t keep changing it.”

Despite his initial disapproval, James eventually gave in to Sarah’s determination. He spared no expense in arranging a grand wedding and even gifted his son-in-law a condo and a car.

Shortly afterward, both Sarah and Ryan graduated with honors. Ryan secured a position as a university lecturer, while Sarah joined her father’s company as a director.

Before long, Ruby was born, bringing immense joy to their lives. It was Ryan who chose her name. James Talbot’s happiness knew no bounds at the birth of his first and only granddaughter. He threw a six-day-long celebration in her honor. He even named a newly built apartment complex in Manhattan “Ruby Towers” and gifted it to her.

To be continued...

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