The 366th Day
The year ended on a Tuesday. The divorce papers were laid out on the same marble island where the rules had been written.
Clara picked up the pen, but her hand stayed hovered over the line. The apartment felt too quiet. The "West Wing" felt like a lonely island. She looked at Elias, who was staring out the window, his back stiff.
"The debt is paid," Clara said softly. "The firm is profitable."
"I know," Elias replied. He turned around, and for the first time in a year, he wasn't wearing his public 'husband' mask. He looked terrified. "The contract is fulfilled, Clara. You're free."
"I don't think I want to be," she admitted, the paper trembling in her hand. "The rules said no secrets. Here's mine: I've stopped counting the days until this was over."
Elias took two long strides toward her, tearing the divorce papers down the middle. "Good. Because I lost the pen I used to sign the first one, and I have no intention of signing another."
The contract was void. The marriage, however, was finally beginning.
Would you like me to write an alternate ending where the stakes are higher, or perhaps a scene focused on their first public 'date'?