The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 257

The Marriage Registration Center was unusually packed for a Monday.

Lavinia glanced at her phone. Wait, looking at the calendar... it wasn't even a special date. Why were there so many people?

Then it hit her. These people were getting divorced. Nobody needed a lucky day for that.

She arrived before Garnett, pulled a number from the kiosk, and snapped a picture of the ticket to text him.

He replied a moment later: *[Stuck in traffic. Going to be a bit late.]*

She typed back: *[It's fine. There are still a few couples ahead of us.]*

Her calm surprised even herself.

She waited another fifteen minutes. Just as there were only two couples left ahead of them, Garnett finally walked in.

He dropped into the empty plastic chair beside her, staring straight ahead as he asked flatly, "Did you bring all your paperwork?"

Lavinia nodded. "Everything. Did you bring yours?"

"Yes."

"What about the photos? They require specific ones."

"I have them."

He looked down, leafing through the divorce agreement and the supplementary forms in his hands. His eyes lingered on the section detailing the division of assets, staying there for a long time.

"Do you want the Arden Estate? I can transfer the deed to your name today."

"No." The rejection was quick and decisive.

"I bought that house for over ten million. I can wire the cash directly to your account."

Lavinia didn't bother responding.

The waiting area was entirely filled with couples applying for divorce. Most of them sat in absolute silence, completely numb.

Directly behind Lavinia, a man suddenly started crying quietly.

Garnett glanced back at the guy, a deep frown settling onto his face.

Lavinia felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. She desperately wanted to move to another section, but they were next in line. If she got up now, Garnett would probably assume she was having a breakdown.

*Just hold on a little longer,* she told herself.

The couple behind them started whispering.

"What if I start missing you?" the man choked out.

"Are you applying for this divorce voluntarily? Is anyone coercing you?"

"It's voluntary."

"Have you read through the divorce agreement? Do you consent to all the terms listed?" The clerk flipped through the printed document, scanning line by line.

"Yes, I've read it. I agree to everything."

The clerk looked up, gave her a quick once-over, then looked back down to type something into the computer.

"You're aware of the mandatory waiting period, right? Once this application is filed, you have thirty days. If either of you decides you don't want to go through with it, you can withdraw the application at any time. If you don't return to finalize it after the thirty days are up, the application automatically expires, and you'll have to start over."

Lavinia blinked in surprise. Either party could just cancel it during the waiting period? She hadn't realized that.

"Do you understand?" the clerk prompted.

"Yes, I understand," Lavinia forced herself to say.

"Alright. Sign here, and provide a fingerprint."

Lavinia took the pen and signed her name at the bottom of the divorce application.

In the adjoining cubicle, a different clerk was asking Garnett the exact same questions.