Andrew stood frozen as Sharon approached. The crowd seemed to part around her effortlessly. The faint scent of her familiar white tea perfume filled the air between them, instantly pulling Andrew back to the small suburban kitchen they had shared years ago.

"Sharon.

Andrew took the paper with trembling fingers, his vision blurred by tears as he looked at the legal text.

"What choice?" Andrew whispered, his breath ragged.

"You can continue to haunt the edges of our lives," Sharon explained calmly. "You can spend the next ten ye

Andrew stood alone near one of the ballroom’s marble pillars, watching Sharon walk away.

The crowd had begun to move around him again. Conversations resumed in careful, polished tones. Crystal glasses touched softly beneath the chandeliers. The musicians continue