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Addie sighed. “Patrick, please.”
Patrick stood and walked to Addie’s side of the table. Leaning so close she could feel the heat of his breath on her ear, he whispered. “I’m not breaking my family apart unless you’ve got a better goddamned reason than you not being happy. Give me a fucking break, Addison. You want a divorce, huh? Well, go for it. Just don’t expect me to make it easy on you as you tear our family to shreds. I know what you’re up to. And good luck, honey. I say, ‘May the best man win.’”
And with that he turned and walked out on her.
Patrick was damned if he’d let his wife make a fool out of him anymore that she already had. His life was slowly unraveling, and he had to do something about it. Yeah, okay, sure, he loved Addison, but what woman was worth any of this trouble? He’d always been a good husband, a little absent, maybe, but he’d always provided for his family.
He knew Addison though, and he knew that when she wanted something sure enough she’d find a way to get it. So he did what he’d always done when he was scared of losing and dialed his mother, who insisted on scheduling an appointment with the family’s attorney, which was how Patrick found himself sitting in an oversized office chair, staring at his wedding ring and wondering how it had come to this.
“So let me get this right, Mrs. Greyer. Your daughter-in-law was unfaithful, is currently about to take the stand in a case where the defendant is proposing that she was involved in some sort of sex scene gone bad, and you are telling me that she is planning on filing for divorce and asking for full custody of the children? Patrick, how about you? Would you agree with your mother’s account of the situation?”
Patrick stared blankly but said nothing.
“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.”
