“Is this everyone?” Clint asked, coming up behind me, one hand ready for handshakes and introductions. I looked around, surveying the people as Mam made her way to me. Everyone who needed to know how today went was here. I nodded to Clint.
Let’s get this done.
“Eat first, then videos?” I offered back. Both of them, who’d been there yesterday, looked momentarily grim but agreed. Eddie got my parents set up with plates and utensils as I watched Clint and Amber.
Hmm…interesting. So, something today had gone wrong.
Everyone lined up and grabbed what they wanted from all of the different dishes of Chinese and Italian, subs, salads, and soups they brought from the long list of food options. It seemed Clint got a little of everything that we suggested. Everyone kept the chatter light. Mam and Pa filled us in on how the house in Ireland was and what they’d been up to. They talked to all of us, asking light topic questions, until we had all finishedeating. That was when they asked me what had happened while they were traveling.
And I filled them in on what I could, and Clint took over with the update for how yesterday went. They needed to know. I needed to know.
If only there were popcorn. Clint and Amber stayed seated on their chairs, while we gave my parents the loveseat. Eddie, Em, and I took a seat on the couch. This was it. I just hope it was worth the laughs I would get from this.
Amber moved to the edge of her seat and moved in front of us. She looked each one of us in the eyes, pausing the longest on me before she addressed all of us.
“Yesterday, during the meeting with HR, it came out that Caleb, your husband, had slept with Becky on a night out with coworkers,” she paused as all of us gasped, but I knew. That was the night that he got her pregnant.
“It was the night you saved the pictures from,” she said sympathetically. Even though I knew, I still wanted to puke. I hugged my knees to my chest, tighter than before. I hated that I believed him when he said they only kissed! What a lying sack of-
“The problem with that, aside from it being a work related event, is that he doesn’t remember sleeping with her. He looked genuinely horrified when she said they had sex. She claims she took him to the bathroom because he said he was going to be sick. She then admits he thought she was you, and she let him fuck her. He paled even further because he had no memory at all. He remembers he was out with coworkers, and as a friend with a legal background, I suggested that Clint report what happened. We felt that it was in the company’s bestinterests, as well as to make sure that this hadn’t happened at other work related events.” I was feeling even more sick now, knowing that bit of information. Becky raped Caleb, and baby trapped him. What in the fuck happened?!
“We called the police and they’ve begun an investigation because your husband is freaking out because he does not remember any of what she talked about and he feels incredibly violated. He’s also trying to see what happens to the baby, if it’s his. The company has been cooperating with the police in the investigation. This happened during the meeting with HR yesterday.” The silence after she filled us in on what happened, felt incredibly heavy. I tried to figure out how I wanted my words to come out.
“I believe that. I can tell when he’s lying and he looked like he honestly believed all they had done was kissed at the point three weeks ago when we decided to reconcile,” I chimed in, softly filling the quiet a little. Amber nodded, looking at Clint. I heard him stand, and move closer.
“The police might want to talk with you, and anyone else who saw him that night, about this particular matter,” Clint said, filling me in on an idea I did not like.No.I shook my head, already thinking of how I made the decision to wash my hands of this utter disgusting piece of trash. I am sorry he was violated, but he’dwillinglyfucked her Saturday night, instead of checking on his sick wife. And that’s why I was leaving him.
For being a willing participant.
“Due to this realization though, I knew we couldn’t do all the stuff we’d talked about. That matter was more pressing than the clowns and singing telegram. So, I just had the process server serve both of them the papers immediately after we concluded the meeting,” I nodded understanding that it wouldhave been in incredibly poor taste, “She will be assigned a public defendant unless she can afford a private attorney.” Amber had been keeping her eyes locked with mine.
“Do you still want to see the video?”
“No,” I shook my head lightly. I knew if he was going to be fired and get divorce papers the same day, that would be enough to crush him. But knowing he might have been taken advantage of and violated by her while he was drunk? Then for her to seduce him and succeed just a few days ago? Sick. Only a very sick person would be able to do that.
I was pretty sure that qualified as rape, but I wasn’t an expert on the law. Based on what Becky said, he clearly wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be able to be a consenting party. In my opinion. It looked like Caleb was stuck eating a shit sandwich now. He was now potentially having a child with a woman who allegedly sexually assaulted him, and found all this out after he willingly went there.
I wouldn’t let myself feel bad. That was what he wanted, before he found out who she really was, before the mask came off.
“This is going to complicate the divorce, isn’t it?” I asked, needing to know how much longer this could get dragged out.
“You may get called to court for this, and we’ll have to do a lot more work to be able to get this all on record for the divorce since it’s also an open criminal case now.”
I rested my head on my knees.
Fucking. Shit.
Chapter Twenty:
Devin’s POV
It’d been two months since the divorce started, since Caleb had been served his paperwork. He was so much drama and headache that I literally wanted nothing from him, just the divorce and what I brought into the marriage, but he wouldn’t even agree to that! Amber swore under her breath every time he protested or objected and we walked out of the meeting no closer to a conclusion. I noticed it with the mediator too. He was getting annoyed at Caleb’s constant objections and attempts to stall and drag this out.
“Mr. Dennison,sir. If you and your wife don’t come to some sort of an agreementtoday, I’ll be forced to send this to court. You’ll have to let a judge settle this for you, and I promise you won’t like the outcome there. The lastthreemeetings you were the one who scheduled them under the pretense that you were ready to resolve this matter, only to get here and change your mind aboutsomething.I have gone above and beyond, bent over backwards to be accommodating to you and your plight.” He paused, making sure that his words sunk in with Caleb. The poor man was boring holes into Caleb. “Now. I ask you, Mr. Dennison, what do you want to do? Go to trial for the judge to decide on the divorce? Or settle it. Here and now.”
Caleb’s lawyer, the mediator, and Caleb all looked annoyed, frustrated, or just a genuine upset and wanting to not be here. I couldn’t blame them at all.
I was in the same boat. I too did not want to be here, and as I let my mind drift off to that show everyone loved about Lords and Ladies and Kings and Queens. I pictured myselfsitting as straight as an arrow like them, sipping tea in a garden. This meeting felt very much like unwanted, arranged marriage talks between two families. I wanted to find the closest wall in the garden to either crawl under or over it to escape the tension in the air.
