Simone already had everything she needed. And now Amber knew that Simone wasn’t some clueless wife who could be easily fooled. That evening, Simone went home and kissed Dererick hello like always. She didn’t mention Amber’s visit. She didn’t mention anything. She just smiled and asked what he wanted for dinner. And Derek, oblivious as ever, never suspected a thing.
The law office of Patterson and Associates sat on the 15th floor of a downtown building with floor toseeiling windows overlooking the city. Simone had done her research carefully before choosing this firm. They had a reputation for being aggressive, thorough, and expensive. They won cases. They protected their clients, and they didn’t mess around.
Simone told Derek she had a client meeting that would take most of the day. It wasn’t technically a lie. She was meeting with someone who would help her business interest. Her business interest just happened to be divorcing her cheating husband and taking everything she could legally claim. The receptionist led her to a conference room where a woman in her 50s with short silver hair and sharp eyes was waiting. Mrs. Simone Turner.
I’m Patricia Patterson. Please have a seat. They shook hands and Simone sat down, placing the external hard drive on the table between them. Thank you for seeing me on short notice. Your email mentioned you needed a divorce attorney and that you had documentation of adultery. Patricia opened a leather portfolio and clicked her pen.
Why don’t you start from the beginning? Simone told her everything about discovering the nanny cam footage, about the emails and text messages, about Amber, about the months of lies. Patricia listened without interrupting, taking notes occasionally. When Simone finished, Patricia looked up. Do you want to reconcile with your husband? Absolutely not, Simone said firmly. I want a divorce.
I want it to be final and clean, and I want him to get as little as possible. Patricia smiled slightly. Good. Clients who are certain make my job easier. Now, let’s talk about assets. You mentioned the house is in your name only. Yes. I bought it 3 years before we got married. I’ve paid the mortgage the entire time. Derek’s never contributed to it.
Excellent. In this state, property owned before the marriage typically remains separate property. What about vehicles? My car is paid off and in my name. His car is also paid off in his name. We each have our own vehicles. savings, investments, retirement accounts. Simone pulled out a folder with printed bank statements.
We have a joint savings account with about $40,000 in it. Most of that came from my inheritance. I have documentation showing the deposits. I also have a retirement account from work that’s in my name only worth about $70,000. Derek has a small 401k from his job, maybe 15,000. Patricia reviewed the statements with proof that the savings came from your inheritance.
We can argue that it’s separate property. At minimum, you’d get the majority of it. The retirement accounts will each remain separate since they’re individual accounts. What does your husband do for work? He’s a sales associate at an electronic store. He makes about 40,000 a year. I’m a commercial real estate agent and I make around 90,000 plus commissions.
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