Chapter 8 - The Desperate Beggar
The glass doors of the European Union Trade Summit in downtown Chicago were surrounded by flashing cameras, private security barricades, and crowds of international journalists. Black sedans and bulletproof Maybachs rolled up to the red-carpet entrance one after another, delivering corporate titans and foreign dignitaries into the high-security grand ballroom.
David stood across the street behind the police tape, shivering in a cheap trench coat he had bought from a thrift store with his last fifty dollars. His face was hollow, dark bags sagging under bloodshot eyes, his jaw covered in rough, patchy stubble.
Beside him, Evelyn looked like a ghost of her former self, shivering in the brisk autumn wind with a woolen scarf wrapped tightly around her head to hide her unkempt gray hair. Megan had already abandoned them two days ago, fleeing to a distant cousin’s house in Ohio after her bank accounts were frozen to satisfy the outstanding corporate liens.
"There she is!" Evelyn shrieked, clutching David’s sleeve with frantic, claw-like fingers. "David, go! That’s your wife! Run to her!"
A convoy of three midnight-blue Rolls-Royce Phantoms escorted by motorcycle police pulled smoothly up to the red carpet. The rear door of the center vehicle opened.
Catherine stepped out.
She was breathtaking—wearing an ivory Dior cashmere coat over a bespoke navy evening gown, accented by a single heirloom diamond choker that caught the midday light like captured stars. She exuded effortless grace, commanding absolute respect from every dignitary who bowed their heads as she passed.
"Catherine!" David screamed, his voice tearing from his throat as he shoved past the crowd of onlookers. "Catherine! Look at me! It’s David!"
He broke through the first layer of velvet rope, sprinting frantically toward the red carpet. Evelyn hobbled right behind him, wailing at the top of her lungs, "Catherine, darling! Forgive us! We’re family! Think of the children!"
Before David could take five steps onto the red carpet, four towering private security guards dressed in tactical suits moved with brutal, silent precision. Two of them pinned David’s arms behind his back, forcing him down onto his knees against the cold asphalt, while another firmly blocked Evelyn from advancing.
"Let go of me! That’s the mother of my children!" David yelled desperately, his face pressed near the ground. "Catherine, please! I made a mistake! Allison lied to me! I never wanted a divorce! It was all a misunderstanding!"
Catherine paused on the marble steps of the grand hall. She turned slowly, looking down at the pitiful spectacle.
Her expression held no anger, no hatred, and no lingering pain. There was only the calm, detached gaze of an eagle looking down at an insignificant speck of dust.
She took three measured steps toward the perimeter line, the crowd falling dead silent as dozens of cameras swiveled to capture the interaction.
"David," Catherine spoke softly, but her voice carried through the quiet air with absolute authority.
"Catherine... please," David sobbed, tears cutting dirty streaks down his unshaven cheeks. "They’ve taken everything. The firm is bankrupt. The banks took the cars, the house, even Mother’s savings. We have nothing to eat. If you take me back, I’ll be the husband you always wanted! I’ll worship the ground you walk on! Just let me see Leo and Maya!"
"You didn't want a wife, David," Catherine said in a clear, crystalline tone that was picked up by every microphone in the press corps. "You wanted a servant to clean your mess, an incubator for your ego, and an audience for your hollow pride. You threw away our marriage for a lie, and you abandoned your own children without a second glance because you thought they offered you no leverage."
"I was blind!" David choked out, struggling against the iron grip of the security guards. "I'm their father! You can't erase me from their lives!"
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"You erased yourself the moment you signed that decree with a flourish and celebrated your mistress while the ink was still wet," Catherine said calmly. "The children are safe in Switzerland. They are loved, protected, and will grow up knowing what real honor, strength, and integrity look like. You chose your legacy, David. Now you must live in it."
She turned her back to him without another word, ascending the grand steps into the summit as the heavy mahogany doors closed behind her.
