I Think I've Had Enough

Chapter 61: We Step into Freedom

Ellen sat at her kitchen counter staring at the front door. The amount of time that had passed was seemingly irrelevant. It felt like days and minutes all at the same time. This was a moment that she had been thinking about for years.

The front door opened with a click, "Mandy," Chris spoke, "We were supposed to meet at the park." He walked into the kitchen, "Ellen," he said with surprise. "what are you doing here?"

"I live here," Ellen's strong accent came through her face far from amused. 

"Right," Chris smiled leaning in to kiss her. She turned away and stood up quickly. "Why you trying to fight," Chris fired back.

"I'm not trying to fight." She said firmly accentuating her words. "I want a divorce." There was no need to dance around her intentions. After yet another incident with the Mandy's in his life, she had wasted enough time already.

"Come on, babe," he rolled his eyes.

"I have the papers here." Ellen stood and handed him an oversized envelope. "The house is yours," She continued feel a little nauseated by how much she was offering him,  "And you will be very well off."

Realizing she was serious his voice took a furious turn, "Where's my daughter?"

"Our daughter is with her friend," Ellen said calmly. "I'm scheduled to pick her up. She has spent almost the entire summer with you. She's coming back to LA with me until Thanksgiving. If you would like to see her before then you are more then welcome to fly out. You can see her at any time."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Chris was mad, "You spend a week with precious Paddy and all the sudden we are getting a divorce again. Is this some kind of joke?" Trying to piss her off as much as possible, "Is he really that good in bed?"

Ellen wasn't shaken by his old tactics, "It's simple. I've wasted most of my life on you. I'm not going to waste a second more." Ellen's voice was strong, "I deserve better."

Ellen's memory wandered as she tried to escape this moment.

"It's a post it note," Ellen nearly shouted. "Who gets married on a post it note?" She tossed her script to the coffee table in her trailer and looked up at her handsome co-star. "All of this to get us to a post it note?"

"It makes a little sense," Patrick countered as he stared down at her with his sparkling eyes.

"Oh, Whatever Dempsey," She was clearly annoyed now.

"You wanted a wedding," He spit playfully. "Meredith in a white dress. Derek in a tux in our house of candles."

"I mean a little character growth would be nice, yes," Ellen shrugged.

"Marry me," he said reaching for her arm. Ellen's entire body froze. She could feel the emotion pumping through her veins, the adrenaline, the impulses taking over. "Marry me on a post it note."

With his sarcastic demeanor her emotions burst, "Get out of here," she swatted at him.

"Still romantic though no?," He smiled, "I can make it romantic."

She was far from disappointed by his joke but she was always surprised by her hearts response to him. At what point would she accept that they weren't going to be together? 'You know what is good on a post it?" She said forcefully, "A divorce!" As she said it she instantly regretted it.

There was something in the way the word escaped her tongue that changed the atmosphere in the room. It was like screaming 'RAIN!' in a draught. Something that needed desperately to happen but was no where in sight.

She hadn't intended on her words pressuring him but she could tell that they did. "But a wedding works too," she smiled softly trying to smooth the feathers she had ruffled.

He paced towards her as if he was going to sit on the couch next to her. "One thing at a time," He smiled softly. Patrick leaned in and kissed her forehead. "One thing at a time."

"You deserve better," he scoffed at her. "So that's it? I sign the papers agree to your terms and that's the end of it?"

"Chris," Ellen tried to steady the situation, "These terms are very fair," she paused, "more than fair." She pulled the papers out of the envelope. "You sign the papers without a fight," she sighed, "You get the house, You get the money, You get partial custody of Stella." She placed the pen on top of the thick pile of papers. "She's our daughter. I'm never going to deny you if you want to see her more."

Ellen exhaled heavily as she realized she had learned that lesson the hard way. She picked up her purse and walked towards the door.

"You're going to regret this," Chris argued. "I'm going to destroy you for this."

She turned back to look at him. "You already have," there wasn't sadness in her voice but strength.

There was little resentment left. She had coped with that a long time ago. As Ellen looked at him she realized that she pitied him. He would go on living life as he had for the last twenty years. Treating his next wife, the same way. Teaching his daughter to find love in all the wrong places. She sighed. That wasn't her problem anymore.

Ellen stepped over the threshold of a house she no longer owned. For the first time in years, she didn't know what tomorrow would bring. Although there was much to fear about the coming days, her nerves vibrated with a strange excitement. An excitement only this sort of freedom could bring.