by Q. B. Tyler
I let out a breath and raise my eyes to the heavens. “That’s a lot. I was thinking more like ten?”
“Ms. Pierce. You probably only have one shot at this. Once he realizes that you’ve taken money, he will probably at least attempt to move it or perhaps freeze the account so that neither of you have access until the divorce is finalized. Do you know if he is the primary account holder? Or did you open it together when you got married?”
“We opened it together.”
“Perfect.” He slides the papers across the table that my husband will be served within the hour. The words Summons and Petition of Divorce stand out at me as if they’re written in bright red, bold print and not basic black print. “This is your copy. His copy is on his way to him as we speak.”
“You are serving him at work?”
“Yes, Ms. Pierce, we are very discreet though, and we are aware that he has his own office.”
I nod, hoping that he’s alone and thereby not embarrassed in front of his very conservative partners. “I have another question,” I say taking a deep breath.
“Yes, Ms. Pierce?”
“Well, anything we talk about here is confidential correct?”
“Yes, ma’am. Nothing you say here can be spoken outside of these four walls. Attorney-client privilege.”
“Okay,” I breathe out as I prepare myself to open up another can of worms. “Matthew believes that I’m having an affair.”
“He believes…? Or he knows for a fact?”
“He believes. He doesn’t know anything.”
“So, there is something to know then…”
“Yes.”
“I see,” he says grabbing a pen from his jacket pocket and jotting down some notes on his memo pad. “Once? Twice?” I bite my bottom lip and he raises an eyebrow. “More than twice?” I nod. “Okay, better question, how long has this affair been going on?”
“Five months,” I whisper.
“Are you still engaging in this affair?”
“We decided to stop…until after my divorce is final.”
“That’s not exactly what I asked. Maybe you two aren’t seeing each other but are you still communicating with him?”
“Yes,” I tell him honestly. “Matt doesn’t know, and I plan to keep it that way. But…say he finds out…what does that mean?”
“Well, Ms. Pierce, due to the ‘no-fault’ divorce clause, the court does not consider which spouse ‘caused’ said divorce and given that you are filing and not him it has nothing to do with how property is divided. The court may consider your conduct if you’re demanding certain assets but it won’t affect much else. Are you sure that he doesn’t know?”
“No…he has no idea.”
“You’ve been having an affair under your husband’s nose for four months and he didn’t notice? Damn, no wonder you’re getting divorced,” he says, leaning back in the chair.
I laugh nervously at his humor, before my lips form a straight line and my eyebrows rise to my hairline. “You don’t know the half of it.”
It’s been an hour since I left my lawyer’s office, and I’ve been sitting in the parking garage ever since, worried that I don’t have the ability to operate a vehicle yet, as I hold my copy of the summons with shaky hands.
I’m ending my marriage. I’m getting divorced. I’m supposed to be going to the bank and withdrawing a lump sum of money from our joint account. As angry as he makes me, I can’t bring myself to do it. Regardless of the fact that he’s attempted to leave me with nothing, taking money from him just feels…wrong. No, Charley. This is money that you deserve. Stop being such a wuss. Take what’s yours! I try to quiet the voices in my head as I hear my phone whirl to life.
“Hi, Matt,” I say quietly. I pull my Blackberry out, remembering my lawyers warning that I should be recording all conversations with Matt going forward. I press record as I hear his words move through my Bluetooth.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” he growls so low and menacing my blood runs cold.
“What—what are you talking about?”
“Don’t play fucking stupid, Charlotte. You had papers delivered to my office? DO you have ANY idea how that makes me look? Everyone has been staring at me for the past hour! They know that I was served, you heartless bitch!”
His harsh words sting. “I…I didn’t know they were going to serve you at work.”
“Why the hell did you file at all?” he snaps.
“I told you I was going to,” I snap back. “What, did you think I was kidding? Or did you think that you could bully me into coming back by cancelling my credit cards and attempting to leave me with nothing?”
“Didn’t think it was fair that you got to throw your little temper tantrum on my dime,” he snarls.
“It’s not a temper tantrum, Matt. If so, it’s an expensive one as the lawyer is billing me four hundred and fifty dollars an hour.” Not one hundred percent true. I think the case is being handled pro-bono thanks to Will, but I’m sure they see me as a cash cow based on my circumstances.
“I am going to fight you, Charley. On everything. Every single fucking thing. If you think that I am just going to roll over and accept these bullshit terms just because I didn’t fuck you every night you have another thing coming. You aren’t entitled to half of everything just because I didn’t have the foresight to make you sign a prenuptial agreement. If I knew you were such a vindictive, spiteful whore, trust me, I would have. I will never forgive you for this, Charley. Just remember, karma is a fucking bitch,” he says before I hear a click.
I’m shaking as I turn the recorder off on my Blackberry. Tears well in my eyes, and as much as I want to break down, I can’t.
There is something I need to do first.
* * *
WITH A CERTIFIED CHECK FOR fifty thousand dollars in my purse from our joint checking account, I make my way to a different bank and deposit it. I’m sitting in the parking lot, the thoughts of what I just did running through my head. Before I took Matt’s phone call, I did feel bad about it, but after hearing his words—his hatred toward me, and remembering the fact that he attempted to manipulate me into staying by cancelling my cards, I didn’t think twice about taking what was rightfully mine.
Go ahead, Matt, be pissed. Make my fucking day. Not a court in America will make me give it back. But what am I even going to do with that much money? Maybe I should donate it? Or maybe take a trip. A divorce-moon. Go see the pyramids in Egypt, go swim in the Mediterranean Sea… My thoughts are interrupted by my phone ringing.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Pierce?” I hear and recognize my lawyer’s voice.
“Yes, Mr. Cromack?”
“I assume you’ve been to the bank?”
“Yes, sir,” I whisper.
“Splendid. I’ve just heard from your husband’s attorney. I will be in touch with you about a meeting by the end of the week.”
That soon? “The end of the week?” I whisper.
“Yes, ma’am. Is that a problem? The sooner we start, the sooner we can end it. Frankly, Ms. Pierce, they want to play hardball, but this is going to be a pretty open-and-shut case.”
“Do you think we can get this resolved sooner than a month?”
“I do think the negotiations and the agreement will be done within that time period, but you still need to wait the full month for the divorce to be final. I doubt we will need to go to trial.”
I sigh. “Fine.”
“This boyfriend of yours waiting for you?”
“You could say that,” I say.
“Lie low, Ms. Pierce. You’ve got the upper hand, don’t let your hormones ruin that.”
“I know.”
“Good. I want no surprises, understood?”
“Yes.”
“So, there’s nothing I need to know before I meet with his attorney?”
“No.”
“You’re sure?” I furrow my brow as I wrack my brain for anything that Matthew and his lawyer may be a
ble to use against me. “Ms. Pierce?” he pushes and I assume he’s taking my silence as guilt or withholding information.
“Yes, I’m sure!”
“Alright, I’ll be in touch.”
“God, you are so beautiful,” are the first words out of Will’s mouth when our Skype connects. I smile and reach my hand to the screen as if it’ll be the warm skin of his face and not the cold hard screen of my computer.
“Hi…” I shoot him the smile that’s only reserved for him and I’m granted a smile to match.
“So, you filed.”
“I did.” I nod.
“How do you feel?” He cocks his head to the side sexily.
“Free.”
“I’m really proud of you. I know it’s not easy. Especially being together for so long.”
“In the end, it really wasn’t that hard. Even if you weren’t in my life…” I recall my conversations with Matt earlier today and I know without a shadow of a doubt that any man that thought it was okay to talk to me like that, regardless of the situation, is not the man for me.
My mother would have a fit. Not that my mother has provided me with the best examples of how a man should treat a woman, but I know one man that wouldn’t dare ever talk to me like that. And I’m looking at him.
“A lot happened today…”
“Oh?”
“I don’t want you to panic.”
He leans closer to the screen, one eyebrow raised. “That’s not the way to start things off.”
“Okay, so I told my lawyer about you.”
“About me specifically?”
“No, just that I had an affair… I’m having an affair.”
“And what did he say?”
“Not much…just to lie low.”
“Okay, why would I panic about that?”
“I’m working up to that.”
“Mmmhmm,” he says staring at me skeptically.
“Matt cancelled my credit cards.”
“He did WHAT?” His eyes widen.
“Are you that surprised? I mean of course I was caught off guard in the moment when I was trying to pay for dinner last night, but I’m really not all that shocked.”
“So, he didn’t even tell you?”
“No.”
He runs his hand through his hair, visibly agitated. “Do you have any card that is in your name?”
I shake my head. “No,” I whisper. “I thought I still had one, but I cancelled it a while back.”
“So, he has access to all of your cards.”
“I guess that’s what happens when you don’t work,” I say sadly. “Note to self, don’t do that again,” I muse aloud.
“I would never do that to you,” he says, and I realize how that must sound to the man that wants to marry me and share a life with me.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that, I just…”
“I get it. I’m going to have to pay for some of his mistakes.” He shrugs sadly.
“NO!” I shriek. “No, I’m just…”
He interrupts me. “Going to be more guarded.”
“I would say, more careful.”
“You don’t need to be careful with me, but I’ll prove that to you. I just hope you give me a chance to.”
“Of course, I will.”
“You say that now, but it’s easy to think that I’ll do to you what he’s done.”
I bite my lip, not knowing what to say. Does he think he’s capable of doing that?
“I think…I just want to know that I can stand on my own two feet. And that has nothing to do with you. I would think as a counselor you can understand that.”
“I do, and I admire it. I’m proud of you, Charley. Your strength is remarkable.”
“You’re shrinking me,” I groan before giving him a smile.
“What else? Wait, first, what are you doing about money? Are you okay? Do you need money?” I knew that was coming, and as much as I don’t want to lean on him financially, it warms me that he wants to take care of me.
God, Charley, you’ve really got a type, don’t you?
“No.” I smile. “I don’t, but thank you… I withdrew money from our joint account.”
“A lot?”
“More than I initially wanted, but he called me before I did it and pissed me off.”
“How much?”
“Fifty thousand…it’s what my lawyer suggested.”
“It’s what I would have suggested as well. Baby, why didn’t you call me?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m already your problem in so many ways,” I chuckle. “I didn’t want to add financial burden to the list.”
His brows furrow in anger and he leans forward. “Don’t you ever let me hear you say something like that, again. You’re not a problem at all. I love you and I want to protect you and take care of you. Let me.”
“Okay.” I nod, a feeling of warmth washing over me as I hear his words. “So anyway, he called,” I say softly, “after he got the papers.”
“How did that go? I hope you recorded it.”
“I did…it…went how you’d expect.” I reach over to grab my Blackberry. “I sent the file to myself and forwarded it to my lawyer. Do you want to hear it?”
He nods and I play the recording. I watch as the man I love grows more and more agitated hearing Matt speak to me in such a hateful tone. He shakes his head before running a hand over his mouth. “Fucking dick.”
“So…” I take a breath. “Yeah. My lawyer is meeting with his lawyer tomorrow and we’re all meeting on Friday.”
“All of you? Like you and Matt in the same room?”
“Yes.”
He nods. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine.”
“Matt is trying to set up a session with me,” he says.
“Oh?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “Is that ethical?”
“You’re questioning my ethics now? Jesus Christ, Charley. Really?” He rolls his eyes. “As I mentioned there is post-marital counseling.”
“And you think you’re the right person for the job?” I narrow my eyes at him.
“I am if I want a session with his wife as well,” he says before running his tongue over his bottom lip causing me to shudder with lust.
“Weren’t we supposed to be lying low?”
“This is true, but I am a professional, Ms. Pierce, and if Mr. Wells would like to meet with me, it’s only fair that I meet with his soon-to-be ex-wife as well.”
“Mmmhmm.” I giggle. “Don’t agree to it yet.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not sure I trust you not to act like a possessive caveman over a woman he’s still legally married to and that would be a huge tip-off,” I say matter-of-factly.
“Fine. For now, I’ll keep him at bay.” I go to pull my shirt off, wanting to get to the fun part of our Skype sessions when he stops me. “Wait.”
“What?”
“I’ve been looking into your stepfather’s whereabouts.”
I stiffen, my body going rigid and tense with the news. “Oh? Have you found anything?”
“Not yet. Where is the last place Matt’s guy reported?”
“Earlier this month Matt told me he was still on the east coast somewhere. He was in Virginia at one point.”
He nods. “I can’t hire a full-time PI, but I can protect you just as well without one, Charlotte. I will keep you safe.”
I nod. “Thank you.” I smile knowing that Will really plans to protect me just as fiercely as Matt. Probably more. “I really appreciate that,” I say, moved to tears as I think about my lover already possessing the traits I need in a husband.
He nods before pressing his fingertips to the screen. “Please don’t cry.”
“I just wish you were here,” I sniffle, wiping under my eyes.
“Me too, baby.” He shoots me his panty-dropping grin. “So, you want to show me what’s under your shirt now?”
The following day I wait to
hear from my lawyer about how the preliminary meeting with Matthew’s lawyer went, and when my phone rings I lunge for it. Fearing the worst, I shakily put the speaker to my ear.
“Hello?”
“This is going to be easier than I thought,” he says and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“That’s great!”
“They don’t have a leg to stand on.”
“Wonderful, the sooner the better.”
“Only thing, you didn’t tell me you saw a marriage counselor?”
“Oh…I didn’t realize that was necessary. It’s not like he helped,” I chuckle. Well not in the way he should have.
“Seven months is quite some time. We’ll need his testimony.”
“For what?”
“It’s not always necessary, but our firm likes to have their testimony on file if it’s applicable. We’ll summon him sometime next week.”
I rub my hand over my jaw. “Okay…do Matt and I need to be there?” I have a fleeting thought that maybe I should divulge to my lawyer that he’s the man I’m having an affair with but decide against it. I mean he’s a marriage counselor, and Cromack is a divorce lawyer. Conflict of interest much? Surely, they could cross paths again. So, I’ll just keep this little bit of information to myself.
“No, no, we’ll meet with him separately. We would need his impartial evaluation without you two staring at him awkwardly.” Awkward indeed.
“Great. So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Yes, eleven thirty.”
“Sounds great.”
“Why the fuck would I give her my house?”
“Because it legally belongs to both of you. You purchased the house together,” Cromack retorts.
“Correction, I purchased it and she lived there,” Matt says. We’ve been going back and forth for the past hour and a half, and just as Matt said, he’s fought us on every little thing down to our frequent flyer miles.
God, this man is petty.
“Well, maybe don’t live in Georgia. Because in this state, if you purchase something while you’re married and there is no prenuptial agreement in place it is community property and will be divided as such upon divorce,” Cromack says.