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I sat down and kicked my feet up on my desk, relaxing back in my chair. I picked up the paper that lay in front of me and stared down at the gold-leaf embossed invitation. They had only cost me a mere two thousand dollars to have printed—a bargain Laura had said, as she begged me to order them, and like an idiot, I’d complied. I read the written words over and over.
Drew John, Laura Elizabeth, on this first day of June, in holy matrimony - love that will last forever.
"Forever my ass," I said out loud as I threw the invitation down on my desk and picked up the glass, drinking down the remainder of my scotch. After fifteen years, it had all come to a grinding, crashing halt when the maid of honor was the last one to walk down the aisle. Laura, now known as the wedding wench, had left me, standing alone with my five groomsmen, in front of 500 of our closest friends and family, while she ran off with her new half.
I tell you nothing says fuck you more than having to hand over fifty grand in cash for your wedding that never happened. What I struggled to understand was why? How? How could my wife-to-be and girlfriend since college just up and walk away without an explanation and not feel the least bit heartbroken?
"Hey, Drew, I just wanted to stop in and make sure you were okay," Andrea said, stepping inside my office, glancing to the glass that I held in my hand.
She was one of the girls from the front desk who felt the need to constantly remind me of what had happened. Like everyone else, she always wanted to coddle me. We'd had a whole discussion one afternoon in the lunchroom. She firmly believed that I needed to talk to someone, that I was holding everything inside, but I wasn't. I was fine because, after a while, the hurt goes away, and all that was left now was a strong desire to know the truth.
"I'm good, Andrea. Thanks for asking." I was getting tired of this.
"Well, have a merry Christmas, Drew. If you are lonely at all over the holiday, give me a call. I decided to stay in town as opposed to going home to my family. Flights were crazy expensive last-minute. Perhaps we could share a coffee and desert one night."
There it was, her telltale “I can be a shoulder to cry on” offer. "Thanks for the offer, but I promised Zach I would spend the holidays with him and his family. So I'll be heading to Denver in the next couple of days."
I saw a flash of sadness in her eyes as she looked down to the floor. "Well, that is great, Drew. Have a merry Christmas." She stood inside my door, looking from me to the glass and back to me, almost as if she wanted to say something else.
"You too. You should get going before the weather gets any worse. Looks like there is going to be a good storm rolling in tonight." I nodded toward the window.
She smiled, turned, and slowly walked away from my office, looking back over her shoulder at me and giving me a tiny wave.
As soon as she was out of sight, I looked around my office, the fake Christmas tree that stood in the corner with its flashing lights almost mocking me at the fact that this was my first Christmas alone in fifteen years. I turned my eyes back down to that stupid invitation and clenched my fists.
"Drew, could I see you for a second?" Trent asked, stepping inside the doorway of my dark office. "In my office please."
"Sure thing." I got up from my desk and followed him down the hall to his office, loosening my tie as I went.
"Shut the door behind you please," he murmured and took a seat behind his desk.
I did as he asked and sat down across from him. Something in me knew this was probably about the last few cases I had been working on.
"Drew, you are the youngest, highest paid divorce attorney in this firm. You have worked hard to get to where you are today. We are so proud of you and are hoping that you will stay on with this firm and become partner."
I just about jumped out of my seat. How great would it be to start the New Year as partner? But then he cleared his throat and continued.
"With that being said, you have fucked up. The last two cases that you completed were disasters, both clients not happy with the outcome."
"Well then, I guess perhaps my clients should have thought about that before they stuck their dicks into someone other than their wives," I bit out.
Trent couldn't say anything to that. He knew me too well, and he knew my thoughts on cheating, especially after what had happened to me earlier this year. We both hated it, and having to represent someone who did it sometimes got to me. We'd had lengthy discussions surrounding the subject.
Trent let out a sigh and the corner of his mouth went up in a smirk. "Drew, one thing about you, you always say it like it is. Good thing we are behind closed doors and not in a boardroom full of other lawyers." He fiddled with the pen on his desk and deeply sighed before continuing. "Drew, the other partners and I are going to ask you to take some time off over the holidays. You've been working non-stop since, well, since June, and we think you might need a break."
I had nothing to say. This was just one more way that the wedding wench was going to screw me over, on top of the fifty grand I was still busy rebuilding in my investments.
"So starting Monday, I don't want to see you here until the New Year, and when you return, we all want that lovable, level-headed Drew that we used to know. Got it?"
I hung my head once again, feeling the weight of everything that had transpired six months ago. "Yes, sir." I placed my hands on his desk and stood up.
Since June, I had plowed myself into every case that had been thrown my way, never giving myself any downtime. I had worked morning, noon, and night, and pretty much every weekend just to avoid the thoughts of Laura and what could have been.
"What are you doing for the holidays, Drew?"
"I'm actually joining my best friend and his family in Denver for the holidays."
"Good, go home, Drew, spend time with family and friends. Give yourself a break and have a merry Christmas."
