Chapter 129

Sloane finally exhaled, an entire week’s worth of tension pouring out of her shoulders. She opened the mediation agreement again, the crisp pages trembling in her hands. Still real. Still stamped. Still hers. Just to be certain, she called the Civil Affairs Office. “Do I need to come in for a separate bond dissolution certificate?” she asked carefully. On the other end, the clerk sounded bored, as if she dealt with shattered marriages hourly. “If you want a physical certificate, you can request one. But legally, your marriage is already dissolved.” Sloane’s breath caught. “So… when will my status update?” “We’ll process it within five business days.” “Thank you,” she whispered. After she hung up, she looked through the mediation papers again, front to back, back to front, like she was afraid they might vanish if she blinked. And then the tears came. They weren’t sad tears. They weren’t painful tears. They were freedom. The kind of crying that tastes like sunlight and oxygen after being