Something awful and illuminating happens when a marriage ends. All illusions fade away. Light spills into the darkest corners of the union, forcing you to face the cracks. The moments bereft of love. The nights without affection. The days spent learning to be quiet and still, expecting nothing because that’s all you’ve ever been given. But then it’s done and you’re supposed to be free except you’re not. You’re carrying it all with you. You’re holding it close like a lover, making space for it to join you in every room, and it comes happily. An unwelcome plus one sitting in every seat beside you until someone comes along and makes it leave. For me, that someone is Xavier Allen. Tall, dark, fine as hell and good in bed. He’s everything I should want in my next partner, the only trouble is, he’s also my divorce lawyer.