Newfound Freedom

New & Improved You

One year ago, you stood across from your future husband as a priest began reciting the vows you and he would later repeat. Friends, family, and coworkers sat in the audience, watching as the two of you united as one. It was a beautiful ceremony that easily moved everyone in the venue to tears.

Delicate white flowers hung at the end of each aisle, each adorned with a tiny gold accent in the middle of the bouquet for that extra sparkle. The ballroom where the reception was being held rivaled that of your Pinterest boards from high school. Your husband was unsure of the colors you chose for your theme, but after seeing everything come to life, he had to admit that you were a genius.

The two of you danced the night away with all of your guests, even though your tight-fitting gown made it difficult for your husband to maintain his composure the entire time. By the end of the night, everyone had filled their champagne flutes, making sure to drink as the two of you drove away in your husband's obnoxious red Maserati.

By the end of the night, the two of you had consummated your marriage several times - and while it wasn't the first time the two of you had been intimate, the euphoric high of being married made it feel like it was.

The books that you had spent years on were finally getting noticed by publishers, with contracts being sent over weekly for you to review. The relationship you had been in for five years had finally hit one of the biggest milestones possible, and the two of you had already been talking about trying to have children wishing the next couple of years. You finally had the life that a younger you had been dreaming of for years.

You had convinced yourself that life couldn't get any better than this.

Now, as you walked down the cement steps of the courthouse with paperwork in your hands, you realized just how stupid you were back then.

Six months of pure marital bliss was all you got from Marcel. He spoiled you endlessly and never spared to show his affection no matter where or who you were with. In the seventh month, however, you could feel him slowly starting to slip from you.

Work meetings began taking longer than normal, causing him to cancel on date nights more often than not. You knew he had taken too many business ventures, but in all the years you had been together, he had always made sure you were a priority over work.

Everything you had convinced yourself was perfect ended the night you walked in on him pounding into another woman, her name falling from his lips like a chant as you stood there in horror. You quickly ran out of the Stohess Estate, calling your lawyer as soon as you put the car in drive.

"How does being free feel?" your lawyer asks you as he approaches your side. Eren Jaeger was one of the best divorce lawyers in Paradis, which everyone found amusing given that he was in a very loving, long-term marriage with his wife Mikasa. The two were high school sweethearts, and even though people had doubted the longevity of their relationship, they made it through every obstacle with ease.

"Considering I own most of his shit and took over half of his money," you smirk. "Pretty fucking great."

"I still can't believe you talked him into giving you the Trost Estate," he says, the shock from the agreement still not having worn off yet. "That place alone is worth over five million dollars. And the fact that the staff stays and will continue to be paid by him is astonishing."

"Those people have been with me since the beginning, and most days they were all I had. I couldn't give them up."

Small talk continues as the two of you make your way to your car, sitting just outside the courthouse waiting for you. The blacked-out Mercedes was one of the many 'I'm sorry' presents from your now ex-husband throughout the duration of your relationship. After a long day of meetings, he tried to be intimate with you. Despite you telling him multiple times that you were not in the mood, he continued his pursuit. It wasn't until you finally smacked him across the face that he got the hint, calling you a useless whore in the heat of it all. You instantly packed your things and left for the Trost Estate.