The Divorce Attorney Who Accidentally Liked My Dating Profile

The notification popped up at 10:37 PM on a Tuesday, just as I was doomscrolling through dating apps in my sweatpants:

"Michael Russo liked your profile!"

My stomach dropped.

Michael Russo wasn’t just some random guy swiping right. He was the Michael Russo—sharp-suited, silver-tongued, and currently holding the fate of my divorce settlement in his impeccably manicured hands.

I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering over two equally terrible options:

Ignore it (and endure a lifetime of awkward depositions)

Match back (and risk my alimony for a bad rom-com plot)

I did neither. Instead, I screenshot his profile—"6’2”, loves hiking and constitutional law"—and texted my best friend:

Me: EMERGENCY. MY LAWYER JUST LIKED ME ON BUMBLE.

Jess: …Like, professionally? Or like, like-liked you?

Before I could respond, a new notification appeared:

Michael Russo: Unmatched.

Three Days Later

The conference room at Russo & Associates had never felt colder.

"So, Mrs. Carter," Michael said, flipping through my file with the intensity of a man who definitely hadn’t seen me in a "I’m new here, be nice!" bikini pic. "About the shared assets clause—"

"Was it an accident?" I blurted.

His pen froze mid-signature.

"The Bumble thing," I clarified, watching his ears turn pink. "Because if it wasn’t, we should probably—"

"Ethical violation," he interrupted, suddenly fascinated by his legal pad. "I’d lose my license."

"Right. Of course." I nodded solemnly. "But hypothetically… if you hadn’t unmatched…"

A slow smirk crept across his face. "Hypothetically?"

Outside, a car honked. Somewhere in the building, a printer whirred. And for the first time since my ex walked out, I felt something dangerously like hope.

Six Months Later

The judge brought down her gavel. "Divorce granted."

As we exited the courthouse, Michael handed me a folded note—lawyerly, discreet—with two words:

"Swiped right."