A Love Like No Other: The Sequel

Chapter 18

(Five Days Until the Showcase)

(Santana's POV)

"...Okay so sign here please....and here....and here" I sign the official paperwork that finalises the joint custody agreement between Britt and I. "Miss Pierce, can you please sign under my clients signature" My lawyer says, sliding the paperwork across the smooth mahogany table to Britt. "Mrs Lopez" Britt says abruptly "I'm still Mrs Lopez until these divorce papers are signed and I haven't signed a thing yet, that is not where we are at. I have been Mrs Lopez for almost seven years and I will continue to be until legally I am no more" she goes off on a bit of a tyrant, leaving the lawyers and myself in the room dumfounded. Britt signs the papers and slides them back over the table to my lawyer, avoiding all eye contact with everyone. "Thank you...Mrs Lopez" my lawyer says hesitantly. Britt has been acting really weird this morning, she seems kind of sad, deflated even? Trying to limit conversation as much as she can, she never said a word on the school run this morning nor on the ride here. Instead she absently stared out the window watching the people of New York go about their day. I went into her room this morning whilst she was showering, to borrow some concealer and I saw our wedding album on the bed, the photo's taken out of their plastic coverings and scattered across the sheets, she has clearly been looking through them. I couldn't bring myself to look at them, not even for a second. Looking back at that day for me now just holds too much sadness. Sadness because we are no longer in that state of euphoria. Instead, we have been beaten, bruised and worn down from life's cruel challenges that led to me turning into an ice queen for a hot ass moment and Britt a cheat.

"Okay fantastic, that was pretty straightforward" my lawyer says a bit too happily for anyones liking, especially Brittany's. "Straightforward? You think deciding how to split our children is straightforward?.." I sink in my chair, bracing myself for the tongue lashing my lawyer is about to be on the receiving end of. "...Mr Goldberg, do you have children?" he gives a small nod, not daring to speak. "And are you divorced?" he gives a silent nod no. "Right, so you're family isn't broken? You don't have to worry about who's house they're going to have to sleep at this week, or what is going through their precious minds, thinking why are we not all living together anymore. You haven't had to worry about having to ask your soon to be ex for favours with childcare so you can go to work, or a meeting, or a dinner. You don't have to worry about the potential damage what splitting your family up will do, uprooting their life, packing their bags to move from one penthouse to the next every couple of days. So do not think for one second, this is straightforward. Because it's not." The anger projected from Brittany, lingering in the air between us all. "I-I'm sorry, my apologies" My lawyer concedes, clearly intimidated by Britt.

"Britt-" I reach my hand out across the table to comfort her but she snatches it away. "Are we done here?" she asks looking to her lawyer who nods yes. "Good. Santana, can you take me home please?" asking but still not looking at me. "Yeah, okay" Britt has left the room before I can even get up out of my chair. I give a small apologetic smile to both of our lawyers before leaving the offices. I see Britt leant up against the car, head looking down as she runs her boot back and forth over the cracks in the pavement. Her entire body language screams 'defeated'. Shoulders slouched, hands in her pockets and the big sighs leaving her body every other breath. I unlock the car from a few metres away and Britt climbs straight in. I dump my bag on the back seat then walk around to the drivers side. I turn the key in the ignition and set off in silence. "You want the radio on?" I ask Britt, keeping my eyes on the road. She shrugs her shoulders, letting out another big sigh. I don't ask again, I just turn on the radio and tune into my favourite station. "You want to get a coffee?". She shakes her head no. "Food?" she shakes her head no again. "What do you want to do" I ask. "NOTHING! I WANT TO DO NOTHING SANTANA. I WANT TO GO HOME AND DO ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING" she snaps.