I left Willis Tower shortly after six.
The wind cut between the buildings and scattered dry leaves along Wacker Drive.
My driver offered to bring the car around, but I chose to walk several blocks.
Chicago had always steadied me.
The city was unapologetically structural.
Steel.
Stone.
Water.
Glass.
Nothing remained standing without support, no matter how impressive it appeared from the street.
My penthouse occupied the upper floors of a quiet building near the river.
I had lived there before Gavin and I married, although for five years he had called it our home and allowed visitors to assume he purchased it after a successful funding round.
The property belonged to the Everly Family Residence Trust.
Gavin’s name appeared nowhere on the deed.
I removed my coat, placed my keys on the kitchen island, and stood inside the silent living room.
His possessions filled the space.
Expensive shoes lined the entry closet.
Framed technology awards from minor industry organizations occupied an entire shelf.
A photograph of Gavin shaking hands with a well-known investor sat beneath a lamp he claimed had been imported from Milan.
I called my attorney, Rebecca Sloan.
She answered on the second ring.
“Something happened,” she said.
It was not a question.
“Gavin requested a divorce by text.”
There was a brief pause.
“How considerate of him to create a timestamp.”
“He says he found someone else.”
“Have you restricted access to your personal and corporate accounts?”
“Already done.”
“Joint obligations?”
“Funded at normal levels. I removed nothing that belongs to him.”
“Good.”
I heard her typing.
“Send me the message and every account confirmation. Do not move anything else tonight. Do not speak with him unless the conversation can be preserved.”
“He has already called fourteen times.”
“Save every message.”
I looked toward the hallway leading to our bedroom.
“I want his belongings removed.”
“We can handle that correctly. Inventory everything. Use building staff and make sure a witness is present.”
Rebecca knew me well enough not to ask whether I was upset.
She understood that I felt deeply and acted carefully.
At eight the next morning, two building employees and a representative from Rebecca’s firm helped me pack Gavin’s clothes, personal records, awards, and electronics into labeled storage containers.
Nothing was damaged.
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