by Daya Daniels
I looked him over when he walked in, wondering why he was alone. Then I saw the flowers clutched in his hand which I knew were Scarlett’s favorite. It was him...the husband.
Christian gave me a smile and I knew that same smile had caused probably a million broken hearts, inclusive of Scarlett’s. I understood why Scarlett called him her kryptonite. He was dressed like he’d just come from a funeral or something and he was wearing a very expensive Rolex watch on his wrist. Christian had money for sure. Then I spotted the platinum wedding band on his finger and grimaced. He wanted Scarlett back and bad from the look on his face. I was convinced this man would rather have sawed off his left foot and bled to death, than have her leave him.
Scarlett’s face dropped as soon as she met his eyes. Her lips remained permanently parted but she wasn’t speaking and neither was Christian. They were just standing in the middle of the room, staring at each other.
I felt like a bystander, intruding on some private moment between them.
Christian shoved the flowers towards Scarlett and she took them muttering something. “Thank you,” I think she said.
Christian’s shoulders slumped as he spoke. I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Scarlett’s eyes darted around nervously.
I made conversation with the woman and the man that were waiting for Scarlett, trying to buy her time.
Christian ran a hand through his hair with an unreadable expression on his face, as he towered over Scarlett. When they were done talking, he stepped towards the door where I stood. He stopped and looked me over. This hunk of a man was confident and undeniably attractive.
“Christian.” He said in a deep voice, extending his hand.
I shook it. “Mia.”
He flashed me his million-dollar grin and repeated my name. “Mia.”
I nodded and then he let go of my hand slowly. Then as quickly as he showed
up, he was gone.
Scarlett pasted a smile on her face and walked towards where the three of us stood and introduced herself to the couple. Her hands visibly shook as she handed the two some pamphlets and forms. I wasn’t impressed. Scarlett had to learn how to handle Christian and how to not lose her shit every single time she was around him. She needed to just get divorced.
When the woman and the man left, Scarlett ran a hand through her thick blonde hair and took a deep breath.
“Nice flowers.” I said, looking them over, making no attempt to hide my sarcasm.
Scarlett raised a palm. “Mia, please -.”
“Does he know we are together?” I interrupted.
“No, I haven’t told him anything Mia but he’s Christian. He knows me well. I guess he figured it out.”
“Ah.” I said. “Do you plan on divorcing him?”
Scarlett spun around, giving me a glare. “Yes.” She hissed.
I nodded, not sure if I believed her.
“I just have to talk to him, that’s all and him coming here...” Scarlett sighed. “I can’t talk to him here.”
I scoffed and looked at my hands.
“He clearly wants you back, Scarlett. Only a fool wouldn’t be able to see that.”
She ignored me and packed up. I didn’t want to upset her but this man made me feel like I would lose her if he just said the right words.
“I just have to go and see him.”
“Well, try not to fuck him when you get there.” I said under my breath.
She turned on her heel and glared at me. “Why would you say something like that?” She yelled, slamming a file down on her desk.
When I didn’t answer, she kicked another drawer closed and then stood with her back to me, facing the wall. I knew she was crying.
“I can just tell he still loves you and sometimes it’s like he has you under some sort of fucking spell.” I said raising my voice.
She stepped towards me, squaring her shoulders. “I’m not under any spell, Mia.” She hissed.
“Well, then prove it and leave him.”
“I have left him! Can you not see that!”
I sighed.
“If anyone knows how hard this has all been for me, it’s you!”
Scarlett’s blue eyes filled with tears. She sniffled and turned away from me, wiping her nose with a tissue.
“What you’re doing isn’t fair, Mia. I. Am. Not. Lauren!
“I’ve never given you any reason not to trust me and so what if I fucked
Christian. He’s my husband and you and I weren’t together like we are now.
“I told you because you were my friend, like I have been truthful with you about everything else. I didn’t tell you so that you could throw it up in my face later and treat me like I’m some sort of fucking idiot.”
Scarlett wiped her nose with a tissue.
I sighed again, accepting how much my words hurt her.
“You know what, you are treating me like it’s my fault I still love him.” Scarlett kicked her bag against the wall. “That’s what people do Mia, when you love someone. That’s what it means. You try and try and try until you have nothing left, despite how much it kills you!”
Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders when she spun around and sweat sheened her face.
“I’m sorry I loved the person I pledged my life to! I am sorry that I expected him to love me back. I’m sorry that I expected him to value our marriage more than a fleeting fuck with another woman, who frankly wasn’t worth any of this!
“I’m sorry that I didn’t expect to be almost forty years old rebuilding my life from nothing!
“I barely have any money of my own. I’m not educated like you are, Mia. I’m sorry that I wasted more than half my life, only to be fucked in the end for being such...a...fucking...bimbo!
“This is all my fault! If only I’d been smarter.” Scarlett laughed mockingly.
“I’m only saying if you had stopped sleeping with him long ago, maybe Christian would have understood how serious you were. That’s all I’m saying.” I said firmly.
“I haven’t been sleeping with him, Mia.” Scarlett snapped. ” I’ve been sleeping with you! So, I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Scarlett took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “I don’t have a problem saying I was confused and I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. I didn’t know my ass from my elbow dealing with all of this. One day I felt this way and the next day, I felt something different.
“Happy, sad, angry, mad, hopeful, depressed, lonely. That’s how it was!”
Scarlett was yelling again.
“My entire life was ripped away from me! One day I’m sitting in my kitchen planning my normal day and then less than twenty-four hours later, I’m living out a Motel 6, broke and wondering what the fuck happened to my life.”
I wiped my tears listening to Scarlett. I didn’t understand where all of this was coming from. Her anger was like an inferno. It was a torrent of rage directed mostly at herself.
“Maybe, I made some stupid decisions but I own them Mia and I’m not ashamed. I am not going to apologize for fucking my own husband because some days, I still needed him! I admit that!”
I held my hand up, hoping to stop Scarlett’s rant. She faced away from me as she went on, packing things away.
“You don’t think I feel stupid enough!” She yelled, throwing another file down. The papers inside went flying everywhere as it hit the desk. “I’m sorry we all can’t be as smart and headstrong as you but believe it or not I am fucking trying!” Scarlett shrieked, as tears ran down her face.
She packed her laptop in her shoulder bag, slamming more drawers and cabinets as she did it.
I couldn’t believe we were having a fight. I’ve never seen Scarlett so pissed. I was an asshole.
“And who are you to even cast judgment on my decisions and mistakes? You’ve loved a woman almost your entire life that has treated you like shit, time and time again and you just taking her back, so she can use you repeatedly!”
I dropped
my head.
“How is it any different, Mia? Tell me how?” Scarlett’s blue eyes glared at me.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, without answering.
“I want to be with you.” Scarlett said. “If you don’t believe it after all this time and I haven’t shown you that’s what I want, then I don’t know what else to do.” Scarlett threw her hands up. “You’re supposed to be my girlfriend but right now you’re acting like a jerk.” She said, shoving past me.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said.”
Scarlett didn’t respond. She shut all the lights off, snatched her bag off the desk and headed out the door, slamming it behind her.
“Fuck.” I muttered to myself.
Mia
I looked around my office, making sure everything was as tidy as could be. There was a huge baby basket on my desk that was a gift from the company. It was full of baby clothes, blankets, rattles and books.
“I will have this delivered tomorrow.” Diana said, touching the basket. “This is really nice.”
Diana looked me over. “You look really good, Mia.” She said nodding. “And you will make a really good mother.”
“Thank you.” I said giving Diana a hug.
“I will keep everything in order while you’re out. I can’t say I agree with you only taking two months off but I know you’re under a lot of pressure.”
I hummed.
“We chicks need to stick together.” Diana grinned, nudging her glasses up on her nose.
“I have enough work to keep me busy until you’re back. I know you plan to work from home but try not to. Make sure you spend time enjoying your new baby, Mia.” Diana said touching my shoulder.
I plopped down on the sofa in my office, in front of the last stack of depositions I would read for the week. We won the Yearmart case with a settlement for the claimants of close to one hundred and fifty million dollars. Every other case I’d taken on in the last six months was settled. I had a big enough window to stay at home with the baby, without the possibility of any mishaps happening at work.
I put my feet up on the coffee table and began to read, flipping through the pages. After getting through two depositions and three cups of tea, I checked my watch, realizing it was almost ten thirty.
Scarlett planned to go and see Christian this morning. She needed to get her divorce papers signed so that we all could move forward with our lives. She was nervous in the morning before I left and I knew it had everything to do with having to go and see him.
Last night she didn’t say a word to me when we got home. Scarlett slipped away in the kitchen to cook dinner, leaving my plate next to the stove and then fell asleep on the sofa, still angry.
I apologized but still she asked to just be left alone. I woke her up with my tongue on her clit, which seemed to have smoothed things over. Then she came to bed.
I only prayed that she came home today with signed papers, setting her free.
Scarlett
We were getting so close to the baby’s due date.
Today was Mia’s last day at work. It was just after ten in the morning.
I decided to walk to Christian’s office from home. The fresh air would do me some good and might help to calm my nerves before I got there. I stepped out of the building making my way north. I didn’t call ahead. I didn’t want to give Christian the opportunity to plot and plan before I got there. I only needed his signature on the papers that he already had in his possession.
Taking the elevator, I noticed how my hands shook. I tucked them into my pockets, paying attention the woman and the little girl that stood in the corner. They looked like mother and daughter. The little girl had to be about eight years old. She had on a frilly red stress and rain boots and her black hair was up in a pretty, pink bow. When she looked up she waved and me and I waved back. I imagined that might be me in eight years with my little girl.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Gillian shot up from her desk in shock and then she smiled nervously.
“Mrs. Brandon.” She said, clasping her hands.
I stood in front of her, looking around.
“It’s so good to see you.”
Gillian hooked her arm in mine, pulling me to the side.
“How have you been?”
“I’m okay.” I said quietly.
I wasn’t sure how to feel about Gillian. I wondered if she knew about Christian and Jacqueline. She had to if they were fucking in his office days or nights, whichever.
“I didn’t think I would ever see you again. I don’t want to over step my boundaries but I just want to tell you I’m sorry Mrs. Brandon, about everything.
“Mr. Brandon hasn’t been so well lately. He’s falling apart and he’s angry all the time. You should hear the fights he has had with Jacqueline. He’s had her thrown her out of this building, refusing to see her a few times. It’s been crazy.
“Then the death of his daughter last week seems to just have made things worse. Mr. Brandon didn’t even go to see Jane but he paid for the funeral and attended, which surprised me.”
I looked at her strangely. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“The baby died Scarlett, last week. She was born with a severe lung defect.”
I covered my mouth with my hand, as Gillian led me to Christian’s office.
“I will let him know you’re here.” She said shutting the door behind her.
I settled into one of the leather seats looking out the window.
There was a picture of Christian and I on his desk. It was from a ski trip two years to Aspen that we took. We were bundled up in a blanket together on a sofa. Christian took a selfie as he kissed me on the cheek. It seemed so long ago but it really wasn’t.
I heard the door click. Christian walked in as I spun around.
“Scarlett.” He said firmly, walking towards me.
I stood to look at him, deliberately avoiding his eyes when I could.
“I’m sorry about your daughter.”
Christian grimaced but didn’t respond.
“You named her Jane?” I asked scrunching my face.
Christian walked towards me, leaning forward to place a kiss on my cheek. When his lips lingered, I pulled away.
“I told Jacqueline a long time ago it was one of my favorite names and that’s what she named the baby. I didn’t name her.”
“Oh.” I asked feeling my heart drop. “You both talked like that?”
Christian dropped his head, instead of responding. It was only a reminder that the two were at some point lovers. Of course, they had conversations.
“A little ironic, isn’t it?” Christian said flatly.
Jane was my second middle name. I wondered if Jaqueline knew that.
“Well, I’m sorry Christian.”
Christian took my hand and led me back to the chair as he sat perched on the edge of the desk.
“I had a vasectomy a month ago. It’s done.”
I wasn’t surprised so I didn’t bother to comment. When I wouldn’t speak, Christian did.
“You want the divorce papers?”
I bobbed my head a few times. Christian ran a hand over the stubble on his face.
“You’ve had them for over two months now Christian. Why won’t you sign them?”
Christian sighed. “Because I’m signing my life away Scarlett, if I agree to this. It’s the final nail in the coffin of what used to be our lives together.
“I thought after seeing you those few times, maybe there would be a chance. Maybe, there still is?”
I dropped my head to the side, staring at the floor, listening to a loud sigh come from Christian.
“I’ve been without you for too long, which means I should be used to it but I’m not. In fact, I just feel worse than when you first left.”
I tried to keep the welling tears in my eyes. I couldn’t let him see them.
“I forgive you Christian but you have to let me go.” I whispered slowl
y, looking at his shiny dress shoes.
“I can’t, Scarlett.” He whispered.
“This life isn’t mine anymore or ours.”
Christian sucked in a loud breath and sobbed. I let him cry for what seemed like forever.
“Please sign them. I don’t want anything else from you.” I mumbled.
“Don’t say that.
“Mia. Do you love her?”
I nodded, still not looking at him.
“But it doesn’t mean you don’t love me anymore.” Christian said firmly.
“I know that.” I said quietly.
After a long moment of silence, I heard Christian fiddling with some papers and then the scribble of a pen. He placed the pages in between my fingers and then knelt in front of me, forcing me to look at him.
“I’m sorry for everything, Scarlett.”
I nodded again, wiping my tears.
“I’m only worth about sixty million in personal cash, that has nothing to do with this company. I can send you a wire for half of that? I just need to give Michael a few days to get it done okay.”
“Christian, please. I don’t -.”
He raised a hand, halting my speech. “I’ve done a bad job of taking care of you, Scarlett. It’s the least I can do.
“The money was always supposed to be yours anyway. Take it, use it for what you want. Take it, please.”
“Okay.” I whispered.
“Just promise me you’ll call me every now and again?” He said wiping his face with a handkerchief and putting it into my hands. “You don’t want any of your things? Your pictures and keepsakes, your clothes?”
“I don’t know. Not right now. Just have it all packed away, until I can decide what to do with it.”
He pulled me into a hug and squeezed so tight, I thought he would break me. Then he kissed my cheek and hugged me again.