“Sit down, Kayla,” Scott said.

“No!” she shouted. “If you sign that, I’m leaving! I’m not staying with a man who lets his ex-wife ruin him!”

Scott paused, the pen hovering over the paper.

He looked at Kayla, then at me, then at the pen.

The tension in the room felt like a physical weight.

Just as Scott lowered the pen to the signature line, the heavy wooden door of the conference room swung open.

A young man in a courier’s uniform stood in the doorway, holding a yellow envelope.

“Emergency delivery for Victoria Vance,” the courier said.

Victoria frowned and stood up. “I am Victoria Vance.”

She took the envelope and signed the courier’s electronic pad.

The courier left, closing the door behind him.

We all watched as Victoria tore open the envelope.

She pulled out a single, folded document.

As she read it, the color drained from her face.

She looked up, her eyes wide, staring directly at Scott.

Victoria set the paper down on the polished mahogany table.

Her hand was trembling slightly.

“What is it?” Scott asked, his voice cracking.