Fake Or Real

"Let' s get a divorce, Ava."

My husband, Mark, said the words so calmly, pushing the papers across our dining room table, the morning light making the black letters sharp.

He quickly added, "It' s a fake divorce. It' s for Clara. Lily needs to get into the school district here, and she can' t unless she' s living with my residency."

He promised we' d remarry once it was done.

He thought I was a fool.

I signed the papers, my hands steady, the silence in the room heavy.

That fake concern on his face. That smug confidence that he had me completely under his control.