---- Chapter 33 Michael returned to the squalid LA apartment he had briefly shared with Serena, his mind racing with plans. He had to divorce Serena, quickly, cleanly. He had to show Liv, show Mr. Hayes, that he was serious. He found the apartment in disarray. Serena was gone. Her cheap clothes, her tacky trinkets, all gone. And Mikey, her son, was gone too. A hastily scrawled note was on the kitchen counter: *"Michael, I'm done with this loser lifestyle. Took what | could. Don't look for us. S."* Anger, hot and sharp, flared through him. She had abandoned her child? Just like that? He rummaged through the drawers, the closets. She had taken the last of his cash, some small valuables he'd overlooked. His frustration mounted. How could he divorce her if she had vanished? + He tried calling her old number. Disconnected. He remembered the name of a bar she used to frequent, a sleazy place downtown. He found her there that night, perched on a barstool, already working her charms on a new, unsuspecting man. ---- She looked surprised, then annoyed, to see him. "Michael. What do you want?" "Where's Mikey?" he demanded, his voice low and furious. She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "With a sitter. Why? You suddenly develop a paternal instinct?" Her callousness was astounding. "| need to divorce you, Serena. Now." "So divorce me," she said, turning back to her new companion. "Send the papers to my lawyer. If | get one." "Where is he?" Michael pressed, his anger growing. "Your son. Where is he?" She finally looked at him, her eyes cold. "Why do you care? He's not your problem anymore. None of this is." Her true, irresponsible nature, her complete lack of maternal feeling, was fully revealed. He felt a profound sense of disgust. This was the woman he had destroyed his life for.