“Patrick! Answer him.” Penny chided.
“Is this or isn’t it factual, Mr. Greyer?”
Patrick’s lips formed a hard line. “It is.”
“And do you also wish for a divorce?” The bald overweight man probed further.
“No.” Patrick fumed.
Penny sighed. “Oh, come on, Patrick! For goodness’ sake, just let her go already. She’s been nothing but selfish. And frankly, I’m not sure why you married her in the first place.”
The attorney cleared his throat. “So is it your intention to stall the divorce or fight for custody?”
Patrick’s eyes narrowed. “Both, I guess.”
Penny stood, pacing the room. “Patrick, dear, please, won’t you let us talk some sense into you?”
“You know, Mrs. Greyer, your son is actually coming at this from a very good angle. By positioning himself as the scorned husband vying to keep his family together, he may actually stand a chance at getting custody. I assume the infidelity is something we can prove in court?”
Penny smiled, and Patrick stared out the window. “Absolutely,” Penny said. “But I just want to reiterate that we ensure that she is to end up with nothing in the divorce. Have we made ourselves clear here?”
“You certainly have, Mother.” Patrick interjected. He stood and started toward the door before stopping to address his attorney. “Look, I’ve had enough for today. You know how to reach me, Mr. Pratt, should you have any further questions.”
Penny Greyer was furious with her son. First, he practically wasted the family attorney’s time, but what did he care? He wasn’t paying for it. This was just like Patrick too, always leaving her to clean up the messes he’d created. Just like his father.
Secondly, not only hadn’t she a clue why he’d married this woman in the first place but now she hadn’t a clue why he didn’t want out when he had a clear shot at getting out unscathed. What did this woman have over her son, besides his children? Only another mother could understand how much she abhorred this woman for ruining her son. From the moment Patrick brought her home that first time, Penny was certain Addison had been determined to undo their family. She’d made Penny the bad guy; she’d made her look like the crazy one. All for what? For trying to protect her son, that’s what. Yes, she’d given her the most beautiful, talented grandchildren ever, but Patrick never should’ve married her in the first place. Had he listened to his mother, because she was right after all, wasn’t she, there wouldn’t be this mess here for her to worry herself over. Nor would she have to have taken the drastic measures she’d undertaken. But anyone who knew Penny knew that she’d do anything if it meant keeping the family image upheld.
Addie picked her best outfit, a dark grey fitted dress and black pumps to wear on her first day back to the office. In many ways, the dress matched her mood. Sure, it looked nice to the casual observer, but look any deeper and you could clearly see the truth. The stress of the trial and life in general had caused her to lose weight, and she was constantly on edge, not to mention being extremely unsettled after receiving the phone call from Scott Hammons. She’d reported it to the detective handling her case, but so far, the phone number hadn’t been traceable, and it hadn’t appeared that he’d broken any house arrest orders. How then had he seen her in order to know her whereabouts? Addie wasn’t buying it and was determined to devise a plan to catch him in the act before he had the chance to do her any further harm.
As was usual on Monday morning, Addie met Jess at the coffee shop around the corner after Kelsey, the boys’ nanny, had taken over. This morning, she had arrived a few minutes early and sat sipping her coffee, trying to settle herself until a familiar voice interrupted. “Good morning, Mrs. Greyer.”
Addie looked up to see none other than William Hartman standing before her. The mere sight of him rendered her speechless, unable to formulate a coherent sentence.
“Well then, I guess it’s nice to see you too. May I sit?” William eyed the empty chair.
Addie glanced at the seat, still unsure what to say. William took the seat anyway, propping one knee on the other. “It’s okay. I don’t mind conversing with myself. You see the thing is I got your letter. And to tell you the truth, I didn’t much care for it.”
Addie frowned and traced her finger around the lid of her coffee cup. So he’s going play it this way, huh. Nice. “I wasn’t aware I had asked your opinion on the matter.”
William threw his head back and let out a deep throated laughed. “Ah. See. Therein lies the problem. You really should have.”
Addie cocked her head and studied his face. He really was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. God, how she wanted to reach out and touch him. “What happened to your face? The bruise?”
“Nothing. We’re not talking about bruises here, Addison.”
“Aren’t we though?”
“Hey, sweetie, sorry I’m late.” Jess interrupted, placing her coffee cup on the table between them.
William and Addie stood, but neither of them took their eyes off the other. “Jess, this is William Hartman. William, this is my best friend, Jessica.”
William turned slowly towards Jess and extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jessica. Well, I really should be running, so we’ll finish this up later, Addison? Word has it you’ll be in the office today.”
Addison bit her lip. Fuck. She sank back in her chair and watched as William strode confidently out the door.
Jess cleared her throat, clearly enthralled with the show that had just taken place. “Yeah, okay, so I get it. That man is . . . Well, he’s even yummier in person. But what in bloody hell was that all about? I thought you ended it.”
Addie rolled her eyes and grinned. “Yeah, I did too.”
“Girl, you are so in over your head. You do know that, right?”
Addie raised her eyebrows, shook her head, and changed the subject to the only thing that made sense to say. “I asked Patrick for a divorce, Jess. My attorney is filing Wednesday.”
Jessica drew in a deep breath and reached for Addie’s hand. “He’s not going to let go easily, is he?”
“No, he’s not.” Addie replied as the tears spilled over.
Jess squeezed and smiled a little. “Hey, on the bright side, you’re not even sure which of them I’m talking about, are you?”
Addie shot her a look that could kill. “Ha. I’m afraid there isn’t a bright side in this situation.”
They sat in silence for a long while before Jess spoke again. “I want you to know that I’m here for you, Addison, no matter what. Always know that I’m in your corner.”
“I know. It helps.”
“Oh and you know there’s always a silver lining, right? Sometimes you just have to look really hard to find it.”
Addison finished off her coffee and smiled weakly. “Can I get that embroidered on a pillow or something?”
Jess winked at her. “I think that can be arranged.”
Addison walked the few blocks to her office, feeling uneasy, fairly certain that she was being watched. It was only a matter of time before Scott Hammons would strike again, and Addie knew she had to be preemptive.
Walking into the office, she noticed not much had changed, except the receptionist at the front desk, that is. “I’m Ruby. You must be Addison.” The peppy voice exclaimed.
Addison extended her hand. “Hi, Ruby.”
The peppy brunette handed over a stack of papers. “Here’s your itinerary for the day. Ms. Sheehan will see you as soon as you get settled in. Oh, and this was here left for you.”
Addie surveyed the stationery. Hmm. “Thank you, Ruby. Please let Sondra know that I’ll be ready for her in my office in ten minutes.” It’s best to play on home field if given the chance.
Closing her office door, she grabbed the letter opener and carefully sliced through the envelope. Addie impatiently pulled out the note, knowing exactly who’d sent it.
Dearest Addison,
You
were wrong about so many things, but I’ll start with this: I did want to hear from you, that day, today, and every day in between. I love you, Addison, and I know you love me too. But love isn’t always that simple; this I understand.
The thing is, Addison, I’ve spent a great deal of my life loving people who never loved me in return. I can see that you have too, and I think perhaps that’s just a small part of why I fell in love with you. Despite what you tell me, underneath it all, I believe that there’s a girl who, just like me, wants to love and be loved—she just can’t quite figure out how to go about it. I want her to know that the story doesn’t end here. She’ll figure it out. My greatest hope is that that we’ll figure it out together. I want that girl to know that all she has to do is to take my hand and jump. I’ll be her soft landing.
I realize that you need me to let go right now, just as you have asked. And so I will. But maybe in another life I will love you and you will love me back at the exact same moment. And time will stop for the both of us. I see us going on a grand adventure, and it will be more beautiful than anything either of us could imagine in the here and now.
I’ll end with this: I believe I’ve loved you before, Addison, in another time, in another place. And I will love you again. Just wait and see.
All my love,
William
Five
Sondra was in her element, throwing orders left and right. Addison hadn’t caught any of them until Sondra slapped her hand on the desk, knocking her out of her reverie. “Damn it, Addison. What in the hell is it now?”
Addie shifted in her chair and sat up straighter. “I’m sorry.”
Sondra gazed at her. “Well? Let’s have it.”
“I’m filing for a divorce. Scott Hammons is watching me. I guess you could say things are a little rough right now.” Addie replied flatly.
“Good grief, Addison. Have you contacted the police?”
“Yeah, but they weren’t much help.”
Sondra crossed the room and took a seat in front of Addison. “I assume Mr. Hartman’s staff is still protecting you.”
Addie nodded. “Something like that.”
“Well, we’re going to have to do something about this. Now, tell me about the divorce. Why now?”
“Why not now?” Addie quipped.
Sondra frowned. “I don’t know. It just seems that you have a lot going on; that’s all. Did you really need to add to it?”
Addie gazed drifted to the floor-to-ceiling window. “I’m moving out this weekend. I’ve rented a little place not far from our house and hired movers. Patrick has no idea, and I haven’t told the boys. I just have to get out. I’m suffocating. If I tell him I’m leaving, he’ll make it impossible for me to go. I didn’t want it to end this way.”
Sondra inhaled sharply. “We never do. Do you need anything? I assume you’re satisfied with your new salary.”
“No, I mean, yes. I’m good.” Addie continued. “You know part of me always knew that it would end up this way, that he’d never let me go easily. That’s why I said yes to your offer. Most people have trouble understanding that, but I guess they’d have to know Patrick to really get it. He’s never failed at anything in his life because he’s avoided failure at all costs. Our marriage is no different. Only this time he refused to even play the game. At some point, he just stopped participating. I knew that deep down, and so I saved. I saved for attorneys’ fees. I saved for a place of our own. I put a lot of my salary aside so that we’d never have to be dependent on his participation again. That’s why I did what I did, but also for the person I became. Being a Domme changed me. It showed me what freedom could be like. And it gave me the independence to make it happen.”
Sondra grasped the door handle and turned to face Addie. “I’ll have everything I just went over typed up and emailed to you within the hour. I’m betting on this not affecting your work here, Addison.”
“It won’t. You have my word.” Addie promised.
Sondra opened the door slightly and then closed it again. “Addison, it behooves me not to get involved in such matters. For what it’s worth though, I think you’re doing the right thing. Your timing just sucks; that’s all.”
Dear William,
I’m writing because I want you to hear this from me and me alone. I’ve filed for divorce. While this doesn’t change anything between us or where things stand, I do want to thank you. Had we not met, I never would’ve had the courage to end my marriage.
It’s unfortunate for all involved that things worked out the way they did. Let’s just agree that our love was chronologically challenged from the beginning. :)
Your letter was beautiful. I thank you for that too. And you’re right. I do love you. But the truth of the matter is I need to love myself before I can really love anyone else.
I’m working on that.
Take care,
Addison
Addison sealed the envelope and dialed her contact then the courier. Once the letter had been picked up, she gathered her things and rushed over to her attorney’s office.
The office, located just around the corner from the Hartman building, was large and sterile. Maybe attorneys’ offices weren’t meant to be inviting places, Addie thought as she rounded the corner. Her breath caught, and a lump formed in her throat as she took in the sight of the paparazzi gathered just outside her attorney’s office. Keep calm, she reminded herself. Maybe they’re here for someone else, she considered, although logic pointed to the contrary. As she entered the doors, she focused her eyes straight ahead and did her best to ignore the flurry of questions shouted her way and the microphones that were shoved in her direction.
Once inside the building, Addie decided to take the stairs in an attempt to buy time and compose herself. Someone had obviously tipped the press off, and this wasn’t good. Taking a deep breath, she opened the heavy glass doors and made her way in. Addie searched the lobby for a receptionist, and when she didn’t see one seated at the desk, she simply took a seat in the waiting room and waited. Her attorney, Thomas Bradbury, was a shark known for winning at all costs. Addie reached for a magazine as a petite older woman opened the door, nodded in Addie’s direction, and asked her to follow. After being led down a series of halls, Addie was ushered into a large conference room. At the end of the table sat the man Addie had hired to handle her divorce.
Tom Bradbury looked like an oversized jock clad in an expensive looking three-piece suit and was positioned confidently with his legs propped on the table as he impatiently barked orders into his phone. Next to him sat a younger looking version of himself, who appeared to be furiously jotting down notes. “Good. Then it’s a done deal. I assume you’ll have the proposed settlement sent over by COB,” he demanded.
Slamming the phone down, he stood and grinned brilliantly at the young man sitting next to him. “And that’s how it’s done.”
He turned and eyed Addison up and down in a way that only a man of his kind would. “You must be Addison Greyer. Wow. Tom Bradbury. But I’m sure you knew that already.” He laughed and thrust his hand in her direction. Addie narrowed her eyes as he continued. “What a pleasure. A real pleasure, I must say. You’re even more beautiful in person than the image I’ve seen floating around in the media. You never know with those things.”
So he lives up to his reputation. Addie turned towards the man standing next to Bradbury. “Oh, this here is my associate, Liam Mott. He’ll be observing and helping with your case.” She extended her hand, suddenly noting how boyish Liam Mott looked. There was something warm in the way he smiled at her, and Addie surmised that he must be fresh out of law school. Just a kid.
After smoothing her dress, Addie sat down and eyed the men expectantly but didn’t speak.
Both attorneys followed suit. “Well, okay, then. Let’s get started, shall we?” Tom commanded. “I assume that you completed the tasks we discussed over the phone.”
Addie cleared her throat. It was time to put him in his place. T
his was the sort of thing that had to be done with the Tom Bradburys of the world. Never give ’em and inch. It’ll just turn out bad that way. “Mr. Bradbury, you’ve come highly recommended, and I appreciate your taking me on as a client. But one thing you should never do is assume anything about me. If we’re going to work together, I’m going to need confirmation of that.”
Tom smiled as an expression Addie couldn’t quite read crossed his face. “Of course, perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. Let’s start over.”
“No. I’ve rented a place a few blocks from home and hired movers to come this Saturday.”
Tom Bradbury pursed his lips. “Um, Mrs. Greyer, that wasn’t what we discussed at all. Have you changed the bank accounts? What about withdrawing half of the contents?”
Addie shifted and straightened in the chair. “No.”
The attorneys glanced at one another before Mr. Bradbury cleared his throat and spoke slowly. “May I ask why not?
“I don’t want any of the money. He earned it. He should keep it. Look. I know Patrick isn’t going to move out willingly, so that leaves me no choice but to go myself. Do I want to remove my children from the only home they’ve ever known? No. I just don’t see any other option.”
“Let me ask you this, Mrs. Greyer. Has your husband ever been abusive? I want you to think about it really hard, now. A little shove here or there? It happens.”
Addie didn’t miss a beat. “No.”
“How about verbally or emotionally abusive? Has he ever called you names?”
Addie sighed. “Other than trying to keep me in a marriage I no longer want to be in, no.”
Tom Bradbury stood abruptly and walked over to a mini bar in the corner of the room. “May I pour you a drink, Mrs. Greyer?”
“No. Thank you.”
“Well, I hope you won’t mind if I have one myself,” he stated as Addie watched him toss the amber liquid back. “Look. Here’s the deal.” The attorney continued. “I’m going to be blatantly honest with you. If you refuse to follow the advice I give you, I don’t think you stand a chance of getting anything in this divorce, maybe not even your children. You’ve admitted to being unfaithful. Hell, it’s been splashed all over the media. You’re currently about to take the stand in a trial which suggests that you’re into some sort of sick sexual shit at best and prostitution at worst. I have to say it’s not looking so good for you, Mrs. Greyer.”
Breaking Bedrock (Book Two) Page 3