Continued from page 4

Britney & Kevin: It's Over

Tuesday November 07, 2006 12:00 PM EST

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Only hours after filing for divorce, Spears and four pals breezed into Manhattan restaurant Baldoria, trailed by a paparazzi horde. "No one has ever made a splash like that," said the bartender.

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Whatever they were, they endured an awfully awkward final few weeks. At a Halloween/album-release party at the L.A. club Xenii, the couple "got into a massive argument," says a source. According to someone else who was there, Federline's ex Shar Jackson (with whom he has two kids) was also in attendance. As the party wore on, Spears became annoyed with Federline and eventually "went running [out] without her shoes, she was carrying them in her hands," says a source. "She was crying."

After that, they rarely showed up anywhere together. Spears blew off the chance to lend a little heat to his new album by steering clear of a release party at the New York City hot spot Stereo on Nov. 3. The next day Federline dined at the newly opened New York City eatery Corio, but Spears was a no-show. Three days later she filed for divorce.

Now, barring a reconciliation, it's all in the hands of lawyers. The couple signed a prenuptial agreement, but any divorce settlement will have to resolve the custody arrangement for their two young children – something that could be made more complicated by Spears's desire to retain sole decision-making power. (New York City divorce lawyer Nancy Chemtob predicts that Spears will face "an uphill battle.") However they resolve the custody issue, it seems that Spears, for one, is more than ready to get on with her new life. "She was on top of the world before she met him," says a source close to her. "And now she really wants to get her career back on track. I think people are rooting for her. People want her to be happy. But I don't think the public ever liked her with Kevin."

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