Chapter 6 - What Derek Thought Marriage Meant
The next hour was quiet in the way storms are quiet after they move indoors.
The officers documented Skylar’s retrieval of property. Derek paced near the window, alternating between apologies and accusations. Suzanne sat rigidly on the couch, no longer asking for anything.
When the younger officer asked whether Derek had somewhere else to stay that evening, he laughed.
“Why would I leave my own apartment?”
Skylar handed the officer a copy of the deed and prenuptial property acknowledgment Derek had signed before marriage. He had barely read it at the time. He called it unnecessary paperwork and signed because Skylar would not proceed with the wedding otherwise.
The document stated clearly that the apartment remained Skylar’s separate property.
Derek remembered enough to panic.
“That doesn’t mean she can kick me out.”
“No,” Skylar said. “The protective order request means I can ask the court to.”
His jaw tightened. “You planned this.”
“I planned a marriage. You planned access.”
That sentence finally broke through the performance.
For years, Derek had believed marriage transformed proximity into ownership. He slept in the apartment, so the apartment became his. He saw her bank card on the counter, so the money became available. His sister wanted something, so Skylar became unreasonable if she did not provide it.
The police presence stripped that fantasy down to paper.
Receipts.
Deed.
Medical report.
Bank alerts.
Statement number.
Derek could no longer win by raising his voice because the room no longer needed his permission to understand what had happened.
When Skylar finished packing, she lifted the final box.
Derek stepped toward her again.
The older officer moved between them.
May you like
Skylar did not flinch.
That alone seemed to frighten Derek more than the police.
