The Divorce Pact

Chapter 1: The Pact

It was a warm summer night that felt eternal, suspended in time between the energy of youth and the gravity of adulthood. The sky stretched inky and comprehensive above the small rooftop bar where three best friends—Lily, Kate, and Sarah—sat, gazing at the city's glittering lights below. They were in their twenties, and the world was still unfolding with promises of love, success, and happiness. Yet, as they sipped their cocktails and laughed about the ridiculousness of their recent dating misadventures, the conversation took a more severe turn.

“I swear, if I ever get divorced, I’m going to just move to a beach house and start over,” Lily said, leaning back in her chair, her voice laced with the bravado that comes from one too many margaritas. Her long, dark hair was swept to one side, and she pushed it behind her ear as she looked out over the skyline.

Sarah, who had been checking her phone, laughed. “Please, you’ll never get divorced. You’ll probably marry some guy who’s obsessed with you forever.” Her blonde hair caught the light, and her green eyes sparkled with amusement.

Kate, ever the practical one, raised her glass. “But if we did, why not all of us? We could all move in together. No more bad dates, no more heartache. Just the three of us, living our best lives.”

The idea was ridiculous—at least, it seemed that way at the time. But something about it stuck in the air, the weight of unspoken fears and hopes lingering between them.

Lily smirked, her eyebrow arching. “A divorce pact? What if we all get divorced before forty and move in together? Start fresh?”

“Why not?” Sarah shrugged, her grin widening. “At least we’d always have each other.”

Kate leaned forward, her eyes narrowing playfully. “Let’s make it official. If we get divorced before we turn forty, we move in together. No backing out.”

Lily and Sarah exchanged glances, the thrill of spontaneity tingling in the air. It was just the kind of thing they would do—turn a moment of silliness into a promise that felt solid and binding.

“We should shake on it,” Lily suggested, reaching across the table. “No turning back.”

Kate grinned and grabbed Lily’s hand, Sarah following suit with a laugh. They formed a circle of hands, bound together by laughter and friendship, not knowing how much that pact would come to mean one day.

“You realize we’ll be like three crazy old ladies living by the sea, right?” Sarah said, her voice light but with an edge of sincerity. “I mean, what if we do end up divorced?”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Better than being miserable in some loveless marriage. Besides, we’ve got each other. That’s all we need.”

The moment passed with more laughter and chatter, and as the night wore on, the city around them felt alive with possibility. They were young, full of dreams and plans, and it seemed impossible that anything could go wrong. Divorce seemed like something far off that only happened to other people.

But deep down, each knew that life didn’t always go according to plan. Relationships could fracture. Promises could be broken. Yet, somehow, knowing that they had each other—knowing that no matter what happened, they wouldn’t be alone—made the future feel a little less daunting.

As the years passed, the pact became a distant memory, something they would occasionally joke about during late-night phone calls or over holiday dinners. Lily married first, a grand wedding on the beach with a man who seemed perfect in every way. Kate followed soon after, marrying her college sweetheart in an elegant ceremony in a vineyard. Sarah, the wild one, held out longer, eventually marrying a passionate artist she met on a spontaneous trip to Italy.

For a while, everything seemed perfect. Their lives unfolded in different directions, filled with careers, husbands, children, and all the trappings of adulthood. But slowly, cracks began to show.

Lily’s marriage, the one everyone thought would last forever, faltered. Beneath the surface of her picture-perfect life, there were fights, betrayals, and a growing distance between her and her husband. Ever the pragmatist, Kate found herself suffocating in a marriage that felt more like a business arrangement than a partnership. And Sarah, who had always been the most free-spirited, was slowly worn down by the reality of life with a man who couldn’t commit to anything other than his art.

One by one, they found themselves standing on the precipice of divorce, the weight of their decisions pressing heavily on their shoulders. When the dust settled, the papers were signed, and the dreams they had once held so tightly were let go, the pact they had made so long ago came rushing back.

Lily called the others first. Sitting on the edge of her bed in her now-empty apartment, she picked up the phone and dialed Kate, her hands shaking.

“Remember that pact we made?” Lily asked, her voice trembling with both fear and excitement.

There was a pause on the other end, and then Kate laughed softly. “Of course, I remember. Do you think we’re going to do it?”

Lily took a deep breath, a smile creeping onto her face despite everything. “I think we have to.”

And so, one by one, they all agreed. They would move in together, just like they had promised all those years ago. It wasn’t the future they had planned, but maybe, just maybe, it was the one they needed.