Beautiful When You Don't Try (Camren)

Chapter 63

A/N: Okay. Just a quick little update. Getting into the beginning of the whole Mike issue here. Laying the ground work for it at least. And there is also a little bit of fun towards the end.

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"Oh, good. You two are here." Clara stated as she ushered the couple in. "Food just arrived. Camila, I got you the tofu meal that you always like. And Lauren, I got you the sweet and sour pork."

"Mom, you didn't have to pick up any food."

Camila nodded. "We would have been more than happy to have you over and cook for you. I mean, you just got off of work."

"Nonsense. I like having you two over. So sit, sit."

The older woman guided the pair to their seats and shuffled the food around the table. Clara had really begun to grow into her own in New York. She loved her job, had made a few friends from work, and had really settled into her apartment. Lauren was happy for her and hoped that her good fortune in New York would help prevent her from falling back into Mike's arms and retreating back to Miami.

"So..." Lauren began, pulling everyone's attention away from their food, hoping to get this discussion going.

"Has he stopped by again?" Clara asked softly, looking back down to her food.

Lauren shook her head. "No. He is actually staying away like I told him to."

"He's listening?" The older Jauregui stated in surprise, hesitating a little before she continued. "Do you think he has changed at all in the last few months?"

Camila laughed at the question but kept her opinions to herself. She felt that the two Jauregui's were family, and would legally be soon, but part of her felt like this was strictly between the other two. Lauren studied her fiancée before she shook her head to her mother. "Not much if he has at least. He doesn't claim me as his daughter anymore."

"Then he shouldn't claim me as his wife."

The brunette exhaled slowly. Clara was sticking to her guns and that was promising. "But you are his wife." Lauren stated, factually.

"And you are his daughter." Clara responded in the same tone.

"But I'm not a kid anymore. If he doesn't want to have anything to do with me, he doesn't have to. I am legally an independent adult. You are legally his wife. Why... why don't you just file for divorce?" Camila lifted her head up as Clara studied her daughter's expression carefully.

"Because of New York's residency requirements for filing for divorce."

Lauren's mind race, but she had no clue what they were. "Which are?"

"To file for divorce in New York, the marriage must have been preformed here, or we lived here as husband and wife for a year, or the grounds for divorce occurred in the state while one of us was a resident for at least a year, or if the marriage was not preformed in New York and we never lived together in the state, then I must be a resident here for two years before I can file."

"That's so stupid." Camila mumbled as she and Lauren shook their heads. But at least this showed that Clara had been thinking about it. "Is there nothing you can do from Miami?"

"I have the grounds to file for divorce in Miami, but I no longer have the residency. I would have to move back and live there for six month before I could file for divorce."

"So wait two years here, or move back and wait six months there?" Lauren asked in horror and Clara nodded her head.

"He could file though. Any chance that he would file for the divorce?" The brunette asked, hoping that was a possibility. Mike could file from Miami.