Chapter 10 - THE DIVORCE PAPERS DELIVERED AT DAWN
Grant received the divorce petition at 8:15 on a Tuesday morning.
I know because he called me at 8:17.
I didn't answer.
He called again.
Then again.
At 8:24, he left a voicemail.
“Olivia, this is ridiculous. We need to talk like adults.”
I deleted it.
The divorce filing was straightforward.
Irreconcilable differences.
Separate property claims.
Financial disclosure requests.
And preservation notices for records relevant to the ongoing investigations.
I did not need to describe the helicopter.
The footage could speak for itself.
Grant's attorneys initially argued that his company had contributed significantly to the island's value.
That was true.
Management services had value.
But providing services did not create ownership.
The trust's records were clear.
Meanwhile, the attempted transfer became the subject of a formal investigation.
Authorities reviewed the forged documents, suspicious payments, and financial communications.
Grant denied wrongdoing.
Sloane retained separate counsel.
The case moved slowly.
Much more slowly than social media expected.
The public learned about the helicopter departure after a news outlet obtained the interview in which Grant claimed I had chosen to remain behind.
I released a brief statement through counsel.
It did not mention the affair.
It did not attack Sloane.
It simply confirmed that I had remained on Halcyon Cay during Hurricane Iris, that the trust had suspended its operator, and that the emergency response was led by the island's trained staff.
The helipad footage was preserved for the appropriate proceedings.
That evening, Grant appeared outside my temporary office.
He looked thinner.
Angrier.
“Olivia.”
I stopped.
He stepped toward me.
“We need to fix this.”
I looked at him.
“What exactly?”
“Our marriage.”
I stared.
He continued.
“People make mistakes.”
I nodded.
“They do.”
“I panicked.”
“Yes.”
“Sloane was pregnant.”
I looked at him.
“And Rosa Alvarez needed a hospital.”
He froze.
I continued.
“You knew.”
His face changed.
“That's not fair.”
I almost laughed.
“Fair?”
He looked away.
I stepped closer.
“Grant, you didn't just choose another woman.”
My voice remained steady.
“You chose to leave people behind when you had a responsibility to them.”
Silence.
Then I said the words I had been holding since the helipad.
May you like
“I don't want to be married to someone who makes that choice.”
And I walked away.
