by E. L. Todd
“Cayson, we don’t need you to sign the divorce papers.” Dad stared him down. “We’ll take this to court and do it that way. Sure, it’ll take months to get it resolved but we can do this without your signature.”
Cayson turned a hateful stare on Dad. “You think I don’t know how the law works? Do you think I’m stupid?”
“You cheated on my daughter,” Dad said. “You really want me to answer that?”
Rage burned in Cayson’s eyes but he didn’t act on it. “You won’t go through the court system. The media will scrutinize every aspect of the trial. Your face, and the faces of your wife and daughter will be in every newspaper and magazine. You won’t subject them to that.”
Cayson knew how to play his cards.
“You need me to sign these papers,” Cayson continued. “And I’m not doing it. Skye is my wife and she’s staying that way.”
“She stopped being your wife when you—”
“Sean.” Mom silenced him. “Enough.”
Dad shut his mouth. Only Mom could achieve that.
Cayson turned to me. “I’m not doing this to make your life more difficult. But I can’t lose you, not when I’m innocent. You’ll make the biggest mistake of your life. I can’t let that happen.”
I closed my eyes as the pain washed over me. “I wish I could believe you…I don’t even know you anymore, Cayson.”
“I’m exactly the same person I used to be,” he whispered. “ I’m madly in love with you and supernaturally devoted to you. There is no other woman in my heart or in my bed. You’re all I ever think about. I want to come home to my family. Skye, why can’t you just believe me? Remember who I am. Remember that I’m your best friend. When have I ever let you down?”
I looked away.
“Skye?” he pressed. “Answer me.”
“Just because you didn’t do something before doesn’t mean you won’t do something someday.”
“But it’s extremely unlikely. Come on, Skye. Have a little faith.”
I couldn’t continue this conversation. It was chafing my heart. “Cayson, I think you should go.”
He didn’t move. “Marriage counseling.”
“What?”
“Let’s do marriage counseling,” he said. “We can work through this together. You were willing to give me another chance if I confessed to my crimes. Why can’t you give me a chance when I’m so determined to prove my innocence? Come on, let’s put this divorce to rest and figure out a way to get us back together.”
“Why?” I whispered. “Why should I do all of this when you’re the one who hurt me?”
He bowed his head. “How many times do I have to say it? I’m innocent. If I were the suspect in a murder trial you would stand by my side because you know I would never do something like that. But you won’t stand by my side now?”
“Murder and infidelity are two different things. I saw her in your tent, Cayson. She’s very pretty. I’m not stupid.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m around pretty girls all day and I don’t give them a second glance. Just because I was apart from you for three months you think I went crazy and fucked anything that moved? You really think I’m that type of person? You know…that hurts most of all.” He rose to his feet with a devastated look on his face. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe we can’t work this out.”
I turned to him in surprise.
“How can I be with someone who would actually think so little of me? How can I be married to someone who would doubt me the second there was a bump in the road? How can I love someone who will leave me the second things get rocky?” He stared at the ground and shook his head. “I’m the victim in all of this. You think you’re in pain, Skye? You have no idea.” He headed to the door before he looked at Sean. “I’ll sign the divorce papers. Send them to me in the morning.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cayson
I wasn’t sure how I got there. I closed my eyes one second, and the next second I was outside Slade’s penthouse. I raised my hand to knock but couldn’t remember exactly how to knock.
Ugh…
I hit my fist against it in irregular intervals. The action made me laugh but I couldn’t figure out why. Then I spotted the doorbell next to the handle. And I bust up laughing again. I rang it ten times in a row and listened to the sound through the door.
“Who the hell is that?” Trinity said.
“I don’t know,” Slade said. “Maybe it’s a girl scout and she’s not taking no for an answer.”
“See who it is.”
“It’s me,” I yelled. “Conrad. I mean, Cayson. Damn, our names are really similar.”
Slade opened the door and stared at me with a worried expression. “Hey, man. You okay?”
I held up my beer. “Never better. But I really hate Coors.” I cringed. “It was all they had at the mini mart.”
“Come inside.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me in.
“Actually, I wanted to see if you wanted to go out.” I turned to Trinity, who stood there in pajamas without any make up. “Hey, what’s up?” I nodded to her.
She just stared at me.
“I have great news for you.” I approached her then poked her in the nose. “Skye and I are getting a divorce. Woo-hoo.” I raised my hands in the air in victory. “You must be so happy, Trinity. I know how much you loathe me.” I laughed. “Loathe. That’s a funny word.”
“What do you mean you’re getting a divorce?” Slade asked.
“Sean and Scarlet know and they both hate me,” I said with a shrug. “And I realize that Skye is never going to believe a word I say. She won’t even give me a chance. So why should I be with her? I didn’t even do anything wrong. If this happened to you and Trinity she would believe you. Now I want this divorce as much as she does. The papers will be on my desk in the morning and that will be the end.”
Slade sighed then ran his fingers through his hair. “Don’t give up, man.”
I released a sarcastic laugh. “I should have given up a long time ago. Sean used to call me his son and now he hates me. You know, I think that might hurt most of all.” I turned to Trinity. “Your wife used to like me now she hates me too. I’ve wasted so much time trying to get her back. I’m ready to move on with my life. Skye won’t keep my son away from me and that’s all I care about at this point. It’s one thing to be grateful for.”
“You don’t mean that.” Slade slowly approached me.
“No, I do.” I finished the rest of my beer and left it on the table. “I’ve been nothing but perfect for that woman. If she doesn’t appreciate me and believe in me, that’s just fine. There are other sea in the fish, right?”
Slade and Trinity exchanged a look.
Slade guided me to the couch. “Lay down and relax.”
“Relax?” I asked. “Let’s go out and party. We need to celebrate. I’m single all over again. I lost my wife, and now my son will have a stepdad. They’ll live in the house I bought with her, and in a few years people will forget that Skye and I were ever married.” I swayed back and forth and felt a little dizzy.
“That’s not true, man.” Slade guided me onto my back then propped my head on a pillow. “That’s not going to happen. It’ll work out.”
I patted his cheek. “You’re a good friend, you know that?”
“I try.”
“But don’t be a fool. I’m a fool, Slade. I was stupid for ever thinking Skye and I had a chance. That woman ruined me. I wish she never noticed me. I could have settled down with someone else and had a passionless love that was secure and safe. I’d only be half-happy but at least I would never be miserable.” I stared at the ceiling and felt my eyes grow heavy.
Slade sat on the edge of the coffee table and watched me. “You’ll feel better in the morning.”
“No, I’ll feel like shit like I always do.” My eyes started to close and Slade became blurry. Then he disappeared altogether.
His voice was muffled but I could still hear him. “You really don’t believ
e him?” He spoke quietly like he was trying not to wake me.
Trinity held her silence.
“If you don’t believe him now…then there is something seriously wrong with you.”
***
My eyes fluttered open but there was hardly any light so I knew the sun hadn’t risen. I had a massive migraine and my head was pounding. I slowly sat up and felt dizzy from the slight movement.
“Aspirin?” Slade was in the exact same place as before.
I flinched at the sound of his voice. “Shit, I didn’t know you were there.”
Slade didn’t make a smartass comment. “Aspirin?” he repeated.
“Please.”
He fetched it and returned with a glass of water.
I downed the pills and the water then tried to check the time on my watch.
“It’s 4:30.”
“Oh…when did I get here?”
“About midnight.” He took the glass from me and set it down.
“You’ve been sitting there the whole time?”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay. People actually choke and die on their vomit when they’re as drunk as you were.”
“Oh.” That didn’t sound so bad, actually.
Slade continued to watch me. “You should call in sick today.”
“I’m fine.” I couldn’t call in sick anyway. My job didn’t allow me to do that.
“You sure?”
I nodded.
“You were out of your mind earlier.”
“Yeah? I don’t remember it.”
“You said you were going to sign the divorce papers and move on.” Slade was unusually serious. It was clear he was really worried about me. He had to be if he sat on a coffee table all night.
“I am going to sign the divorce papers.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I give up, Slade. Now her parents are against me and I’m not any closer to proving my innocence.”
“Just be patient.”
“Be patient for what?” I snapped. “I love Skye with everything I have but why should I keep fighting for someone who has so little faith in me? She should have believed me the second I explained myself.”
“I know…but she’s emotional.”
“And stupid. You’re the only one who believes me…because you’re the only person who really knows me.”
“That’s not true, Cayson,” he said calmly. “Skye is just going through a lot right now.”
“I’m done,” I said with a sigh. “I’m not just saying that because I’m still a little buzzed. My marriage is over, and it’s not because I left. It’s because Skye doesn’t have any faith in me. Why would I want to be with her after all of this? What happens at the next bump in the road? She turns her back on me again? We’re a team. She’s on my side and I’m on her side.”
Slade was quiet as he tried to think of the next thing to say. “Cayson, you’re just upset right now. Don’t sign those papers. Take a few days to calm down and you’ll realize it’s not what you want.”
“It’s not about what I want, Slade.” I rose from the couch then adjusted my wrinkled clothes. “This is the hand I’m dealt with and I have to deal with it. If I don’t sign those papers we’ll go to court. I don’t have any respect for Sean anymore but I don’t want to drag his name through the mud. And I don’t want to humiliate Skye and my unborn son. When he’s old enough he can look it up online and see all the disgusting details. This way…I’m the only one who gets hurt.”
Slade bowed his head in sadness. “I’m so sorry…”
“I am too.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sean
I entered the floor of his office and approached his secretary. “I’m here to see Cayson.”
She gave me a look full of disapproval. “Mr. Thompson is a very busy man. Do you have an appointment?”
“No. But I just need to drop these off.” I held up the folder.
“I can give those to him.” She extended her hand.
I wanted to get these signatures today so I could process the order. The sooner my daughter was free of this man, the better. He had a stake in PIXEL and could easily ruin my daughter’s life, not to mention Mike’s and mine if he wanted to. “I need to see him directly.”
Cayson’s voice came over the intercom. “Send him in, Jessica.” He obviously heard our conversation through the door.
She gave me a forced smile, clearly irritated her job was being overruled. “Go ahead.”
I entered his office and immediately noted Cayson’s features. He looked half-dead. His face was pale like the moon, and his hair was messy like he didn’t bother doing it that morning. His eyes were bloodshot like he didn’t get any sleep.
He looked up and had an unreadable expression on his face. Then he extended his hand for the papers.
Was he really going to make this that easy?
I opened the folder and placed them in his hands.
He grabbed a pen and immediately flipped through the pages. He skimmed the lines and added his initials as he went.
I was relieved this was so simple.
He stopped when he found the paragraph about her assets. He was basically giving up every right he had to her wealth. He could take it to court and fight for it. But I hoped he wouldn’t notice and just sign it. Cayson looked up at me, a new look on his face. It was full of disapproval, pain, and blatant anger. “Now I understand why you’re eager to get this signed so quickly—you think I’ll try to take everything from her.” He shook his head slightly. “And everything from you.” He added his signature then moved on. “You know, I think that hurts most of all.” He flipped through the remaining pages then got to the last signature. Instead of signing it immediately he just stared it. He took a deep breath like he didn’t want to put the pen to the paper. He closed his eyes like he was in pain before he reopened them.
We were almost there…
Then he signed it. Cayson dropped the pen then organized the papers before he handed them back to me.
Thank god.
“Have a good life, Sean.” He returned his gaze to his computer like I wasn’t even there.
Have a good life? “Thank you for making this easy on Skye.” It was the only civil thing I could say.
“You mean, easy on you?” He still didn’t look at me.
There was nothing left to say so I turned around and headed to the door.
“Sean?”
I took a deep breath before I turned around.
“You were like a father to me.” He stared me down without blinking. “Of all people, I thought you would at least believe me. I didn’t just lose my wife today—but I lost my whole family.”
***
Of all people, I thought you would at least believe me.
His words continued to echo in my mind. They replayed over and over the entire time I headed back to PIXEL. Skye was waiting for the divorce papers so she could add her signatures. Then this entire thing would be behind us once and for all.
But I felt sick.
What if I was making a mistake? What if Cayson really was innocent? What if my daughter was losing the love of her life?
What if I was wrong?
I stared at the folder in my hands as I rode the elevator to the top floor. I remembered the look on Cayson’s face when I walked Skye down the aisle. He didn’t cry but his eyes were moist. I remembered the way he drove to my house and asked my permission to date my daughter. I remembered the look on his face when he gave Skye that beautiful ring.
Would that man do this?
Doubt started to grip me and my fingers felt numb. The man I knew wouldn’t do something like this, so maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe that letter was phony. But it seemed so incriminating.
What other evidence did I have?
When I reached my floor I immediately entered my office and ignored my secretary. He tried to tell me I had a meeting in two hours but I ignored him. I reached my desk and sat down, letting
the papers sit in front of me. My mind was working furiously, trying to make sense of all my sporadic thoughts.
What If I was wrong?
The door opened and Skye stepped inside. She looked lifeless and empty. Her baby bump showed through her dress but she didn’t glow the way she used to. She approached the desk and looked down at the papers. “Did he sign them?”
I rested my fingertips on my lips as I thought of a response.
Skye’s features were disconcerting. She looked hesitant, like she hoped he didn’t sign them. But it also looked like she hoped he did sign them. “Dad?”
I dropped my hand and rested it on the desk. “No.”
“No?” she asked.
“He didn’t sign them.”
She nodded her head slowly. She looked relieved and disappointed. “Oh…”
“I’ll take care of it, Skye. Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay…I guess he was just upset last night.”
“Yeah…”
“I should get back to work…” She left my office and the silence returned.
I opened the bottom drawer of my desk then tossed the papers inside. Then I called my wife.
“How’d it go?” she asked the second she answered.
“I need you to do a favor for me.”
“What?”
“I need you to get that letter from Skye’s house.”
“What letter?” she asked.
“The one Laura put in Cayson’s bag. Her address is on it.”
Scarlet was quiet for a long time. “Sean…what are you going to do?”
“Ask her for the truth.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Slade
Trinity spent most of her free time decorating our new place. Most of the furniture we had was cheap and from IKEA, so she wanted to get high-quality stuff for our new place.
I was relieved when she didn’t ask me to help.
The only room I cared about was my jam room. I had my guitars and drums in there, and I decorated the walls with band posters and guitar picks. The place was cluttered and messy but Trinity didn’t make a single comment about it.
It really was my man cave.
I even had a mini fridge to store my beer so I didn’t have to leave the room when I was in the zone. It was my retreat when I needed some alone time. And I noticed Trinity never bothered me when I was in there. She didn’t even text me. She always waited until I walked out to tell me something.