Chapter 14 - THE DIVORCE PAPERS AND THE NEW FOUNDATION
While I fought for every single millimeter of mobility in the rehabilitation gym, my mother’s longtime friend and attorney, Arthur Vance, filed formal paperwork for a legal separation and expedited divorce on grounds of emotional abandonment and medical neglect. When Marco was served with the documents by a process server in the hospital lobby, he tried to protest, begging for counseling and promising he would change, but the foundation of our marriage had already shattered beyond repair.
I signed the divorce decree sitting in my wheelchair in the rehabilitation sunroom, watching the spring sunlight filter through the tall glass windows. I didn't feel broken or defeated; I felt lighter, as if a massive, suffocating anchor had finally been cut loose from my spine. Marco agreed to a settlement that provided full child support and signed over his share of our equity, retreating into the background of our lives as a distant, cautionary memory.
