CHAPTER ONE

LONG LIVE FOR BETTER FOR WORSE.

Leon Bennett wiped the grease off his hands and set his ass down on the bench beside him, a hard metal hitting hard, echoing through the empty garage. He looked at the clock on the wall. “Midnight. Again.” He sighed, knowing Clara would be asleep by the time he got home. Their conversations had become shorter, their dinners colder. Tonight, though, something felt different. A sharp pain hit him hard from his chest to his stomach as he arranged his work space ready to go home. Stepped out to close his workshop.

When Leon opened the door to their humble but elegant apartment, Clara was waiting for him in the low lit living room. She was still in her chef's uniform, her face was filled with irritation and something else he couldn't quite place. The TV was on, but the volume was muted. Clara stared at him as if she were assessing a problem that needed solving.

"You're late," she said, her voice was cold as winter entering the room.

"I had to…i had to finish a job," Leon replied, kicking off his boots. "You know how it is."

"No, Leon, I don't know how it is. I don't know why you keep doing this to yourself. To us. To me especially"

Her words were filled with emotions, but he tried to stay calm. "Clara, I'm doing this for us. The extra hours, the side jobs—I'm trying to build something."

"Build what, Leon? A life of greasy hands and broken dreams? You're holding me back."

Leon felt his heart stop. "Clara, what are you saying?"

She took a deep breath, her eyes were colder than whatever he had ever seen . "I want a divorce."

The word hit him like a punch to the stomach. He stood there, frozen, the world spinning around him. "A divorce? Why? Where is this coming from?"

"Where is this coming from?" Clara echoed, her voice began to rise. "This is coming from five years of you being more married to that damn garage than to me! I'm a renowned chef, Leon. I have a career, a reputation. And you... you're just a mechanic."

"Just a mechanic?" Leon's voice cracked. "Clara, I love you. I've always supported you. I never once complained about your long hours or the fact that we barely see each other because of your job."

"That's the difference, Leon. My job means something. People respect me. But you... you're just stuck in the same place, doing the same thing. And I can't do it anymore. I need someone who's at my level, who understands what it means to succeed."

“Who understands what it means to be up and doing, not someone who. Just want to keep working with no aim”.

Leon felt his anger rise, but he pushed it down. "So, this is about status? About how I don't measure up to your standards?"

Clara crossed her arms, setting her jaw. "It's about how I need more from life than what you're offering. I'm done settling. I'm done with you. I am done right his thing called marriage, I am done with us, I am fucking done Leon, fucking done"

The finality in her voice shattered something inside him. Leon looked at her, searching for any sign of the woman he had fallen in love with, the woman who had stood by his side when times were tough. But she was gone, replaced by this cold, ambitious stranger.

He knew he had lost this battle, long before now, she already made up her mind before today, and no matter what he tries to say now, nothing would change her mind.

"Fine," he said quietly. "If that's what you want, I'll give it to you. I'll sign the papers."

Clara seemed taken by surprise by his quick agreement. "Just like that?,"

Leon nodded, feeling nothing left inside of him for her again. "Just like that."

She turned away, as if already erasing him from her life. "I'll have my lawyer draw up the documents."

Leon took one last look at the woman he had once thought he would spend his life with. "Goodbye, Clara."

He walked into their bedroom and began packing a bag. Each item he placed in the suitcase felt like another piece of his heart being ripped out. Photos, clothes, memories all went into the bag. He found an old picture of them on their wedding day, smiling and full of hope. He placed it face down on the dresser, unable to look at it any longer.

When he was done, he took a deep breath and walked back to the living room. Clara was still there, staring at the TV without really seeing it.

"I'm leaving tonight," he said. "I'll find somewhere else to stay."

She didn't respond, and he didn't wait for one. He opened the door and stepped out into the cold night, the chill biting at his skin. As he walked down the street, the weight of what had just happened pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe.

Leon reached the garage, his safe haven, and sat down on the cold concrete floor. The tools and parts scattered around felt like old friends. He picked up a wrench and turned it over in his hands, wondering how everything had gone so wrong.

For hours, he sat there, replaying every moment of their marriage, every fight, every laugh. How had they come to this? Was it really all his fault? He had tried so hard to make her happy, to build a future for them. But it had never been enough.

As the first light of day broke through the garage windows, Leon made a decision. He couldn't change the past, but he could take control of his future. He wouldn't let this defeat him. He would rise from the ashes of his broken marriage and build something new, something better.

Leon stood up, determination replacing the despair in his heart. He grabbed a piece of scrap metal and started working. With each strike of the hammer, he felt a little stronger, a little more in control.

By the time the sun was fully up, he had a plan. He would start over, not just for himself, but to prove to everyone including Clara that he was more than just a mechanic. He was a man with dreams, with the talent to achieve them.

And he would succeed, no matter how long it took. He was done being held back. From this moment on, he would forge his own path.