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“Don’t lie to me.” He held the pills up. “I just found your pills.”
She stared at him.
He shook his head in disgust. “You lying bitch!”
She turned the water off. “You’re being ridiculous. It’s not what you think.”
“I heard you called Angel.”
“Oh. So, this is about her, isn’t it? That bitch from Arizona!”
Cole reached in and grabbed her by the neck. She gasped, clutching at his hand. Bringing her face to within an inch of his, he gritted through his teeth, “You ever call her again and I swear to God, I’ll kill you myself.” He shook her. “Do you understand?”
Mandy nodded.
Cole shoved her back against the shower wall and stormed out. He could hear her pleading with him as he walked out.
“Cole, please! I love you. I’m sorry.”
***
A week later, Cole found Mandy sitting at the dining room table, smoking a cigarette.
She looked at him with a hostile expression. “What’s so important?”
He held up some folded paperwork. “You need to sign these.”
“What are they?”
“Divorce papers.”
“Like hell. I’m not signing those.”
Cole stared at her. “I’m getting a divorce, one way or another. Why drag it out? I don’t want you anymore.”
“Why should I make it easy on you?” she smirked.
He stared at her and shook his head. “I’d hate to see something bad happen to you, Mandy.” That got her attention. Who the hell did she think she was dealing with?
She tapped her cigarette nervously in the ashtray as he walked around the table to her.
Cole tossed the paperwork on the table and leaned down resting on his knuckles, his face just inches from hers. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to piss me off?”
“You can’t make me sign those,” she said nervously.
“What’s it gonna take to get you to sign them?”
“What do you mean?”
He blew out a breath, losing patience. “How much?”
“You mean money?”
She’d never been the sharpest knife in the drawer. “Yeah. Money.”
She thought a moment.
Cole could see the wheels turning. He was sure she’d try to take him for all she thought she could get.
“Ten grand. And the house.”
“I don’t own the house, Mandy. It’s a rental. You’d know that, if you had half a brain.”
“You think I’m stupid? Well, I’m not stupid enough to sign those papers you want so badly!” she smirked back at him.
Cole smiled and shook his head. Did she really think he’d walk in here without an ace up his sleeve? He pulled out a fat envelope and tossed it on the table. He nodded to it. “Two grand. It’s yours if you sign right now.”
She looked at the envelope, debating.
Cole smiled. Who was she kidding? He knew she was desperate for money. And he knew why. He leaned down and whispered in her face. “I found out your other dirty, little secret, wife. While I was in Arizona and you were here, supposedly pregnant, you ran up quite a coke debt with Skeeter. A debt that totals over a grand, babe.”
“That’s…that’s a lie,” she denied weakly.
“Is it? What’s he gonna do to you when I’m not around to protect you from him?” He watched the fear wash over her face. “I’m not paying it off for you, Mandy. So, what are you gonna do?”
She looked down at the papers, and he saw the realization hit her that she had no choice.
He held the pen out to her.
She looked up at him, slowly took it out of his hand, and signed.
