“I know that, Dad, but—”
“Melanie.” He cut me off again, this time, frustration bled into his voice. “Don’t you think that we also feel guilt, that we also want to take blame for how all of this has played out? We helped raise the boy…” His voice cracked, and he looked away for a moment. I felt a stab in my chest and swallowed hard. When he started speaking again, his voice was gruff. “The reality is that none of us would have condoned, encouraged, or even enabled the behavior if we’d had any idea what he was doing. We can’t carry the blame for him when we couldn’t have stopped him.”
His words hung in the air, heavy but true, over us.
“What happens now?” My mother asked quietly.
“Now, the forensic accountant will do their thing, and then next week at court Ms. Yang is going to petition for full disclosure of assets and discovery for any extramarital spending. She’s confident that he will hang himself by lying to the judge and then she will prove that he lied,” Kyle sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“And then?”
“And then Ben is guilty of perjury and in contempt,” I explained flatly.
“He’s also going to be guilty of some hefty stuff with the IRS and SEC,” Kyle smirked. I glared at him, and he quickly wiped the look off his face. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“I’m not ready to celebrate any of this yet,” I exclaimed. I stood up and turned to face my family. Mom and Kyle shared a concerned look but didn’t move. Griffin was leaning against the railing on the far end of the porch, where he had been the entire conversation, and Dad was still rocking gently in the chair. The sun had fully set, but the porch was well equipped with aesthetically pleasing lights that illuminated their faces clearly. “You are all allowed to be angry at Ben; I am too, but none of this is a win for me or for our unborn child.” I placed my hand on my flat stomach and looked down. “I’m not ready to be gleeful that he’s going to jail because my life is still actively shattering with every new piece of information.”
Kyle looked guilty and ran a hand through his hair.
“Fuck, I didn’t even think about it that way. I’m sorry Mel.”
“I know you didn’t,” I assured him softly, “I also know I’m not the only one here he hurt. So, if anger comforts you—if the idea of him serving time comforts you, that’s okay… I’m just not there.” Kyle nodded and then excused himself and disappeared inside. My mother and father followed him after checking to make sure that I was okay.
Which left Griffin, who still hadn’t spoken, and me.
“Do you want to take a walk on the beach?” he asked after observing me silently for a few minutes.
“That would be nice.” We shed our shoes on the porch and followed the footpath down to the deserted beach.
The moon was shimmering on the waves as they rolled in and crashed against the shore. The tide was just coming in, and the sand was dry and soft under our feet from hours in the sun.
“You’ve been quiet.” I commented once we were out of hearing range of the house.
“I don’t have anything to add that will be helpful right now.” He glanced at me quickly and then looked straight ahead again. “I’m very much in the angry wanting vengeance stage.” He admitted with a grimace, “I know that I overstepped earlier with Penelope.”
I considered his words for a moment.
“I don’t think you overstepped, I think you and Penelope were both frustrated with Ben and had no where to direct it.” I stopped walking and turned to face him, “I still don’t fully understand why you are here and helping me so much… but I’m grateful that you are and I do want to hear your thoughts about things.”
He had turned to face me, too, and I watched as some of the tension in his shoulders melted away and the wary expression in his eyes softened.
“Was there anything you wanted to say back there that you didn’t think you could?”
“Just—” he paused and furrowed his brows for a second while he tried to pick his next words. “Just that Ben still has one more chance to change the outcome of all of this. I know you’re feeling guilty, feeling like you’re doing this TO him… but if he actually discloses all of the assets and signs the divorce then there won’t be any reason for our forensic accountant to finish his report.”
I nodded slowly and gave him a small smile.
“Thank you.” I said softly.
· · - ·?· - · ·
“Your Honor, my client is here because Mr. Landon attacked her during the divorce settlement conference.” Penelope looked every bit the lethal legal shark that she was known to be as she stood next to me with a stern expression and confident voice. “Following that failed meeting, we immediately filed for an emergency no contact order, temporary freezing of assets, and also requested that Mr. Landon produce documentation of all marital assets and financial records as we believe that therehas been a breach of fiduciary duty and that he was spending community assets on extramarital relationships.”
I had felt Ben’s eyes on me from the moment I entered the room and had purposely avoided looking at him until that moment. When our eyes finally met, there was pain in his, and I had to look away again.
“Mr. Landon, the court directed you to disclose a list of all marital assets and produce bank statements, credit-card records, and any documentation related to your expenditures— do you have those documents with you today?” The judge addressed Ben. He tore his eyes away from me and stood slowly.
“I do, your honor.” His voice was steady, and he handed a file to the bailiff when he came to collect it.
