Amber had also spoken with the judge while I was apparently passed out in the hallway, before someone burst into the courtroom and announced to everyone I’d fainted, letting them know I would not be doing this again due to the mental strain it put on me. She was trying to secure anassurancethat my testimony today would be all that was needed, including moving forward, if this results in another court appearance for the two of them. The judge assured her due to myhealth complicationsthat I wouldn’t be needed again.
Everyone rushed out to check on the lady who fainted after testifying and saw Cash holding me, crying over me, kissing me like I was the key to happiness. Including my ex who, according to Amber and her amazing tea she had, thought it washis moment to shineas he looked like he could potentially become theknight in shining armorhe saw himself as. That was, until Cash picked me up and gently placed me on the gurney like a fragile gift he didn’t want to be broken.
Amber said that Caleb went white looking between us before looking away from the scene unfolding before him. I couldn’t help but look at Cash, smiling at him gently, as she recounted the whole scene in my hospital room after I wasallowed visitors. Though, the nurses insisted I was a lucky one with a husband like I had since the man hadn’t moved from my side. I blushed practically from head to toe as I recalled how he fussed over me while the EMTs and hospital staff did their jobs.
This man…he just made me feel so secure. So safe.
Loved.
Something I hadn’t felt in what felt like years, but was only months in actuality. He’d fallen asleep sitting in that uncomfortable hospital chair, his head resting on my lap. I looked down at the man I knew I could trust, running my fingers through his hair as I let the feelings sink in. Testing them, feeling their weight. Those feelings told me, sinking deep within me that I could trust him. My eyes scanned his face as I realized with a certainty I hadn’t even had with Calen that Cash would never hurt me. I felt that he would protect me from whatever life threw my way, but he’d also hold my hand and treat me like atrue partner, an equal.He already treated me like I was something priceless to him, and we’d only been friends this whole time.
Seeing him in the courthouse, knowing that he knew when I hadn’t told him anything other than, ‘I have to appear. I can’t get out of it’. He was there when I felt shaky and nervous and like the mask might slip. He was there as I was trying to find something to anchor me. I didn’t know how, but I just knew that he was someone special, and I needed to hold on to him. The whole time we were in the hospital and once I was out, he’d treated me even better than before. I mean, he even offered to hire a maid and chef so I could take it easy, and movers to move me to a new unit in the same building for fucks sake! I face-palmed quietly so as not to wake him when I thought of his face earlier. All earnest and firm in his idea.
If only Becky hadn’t been so crazy. Of course she had to follow Eddie home one night and find out where our apartments were. Of course she came back and egged both our front doors, spray painted what a whore I was across my wall, and smashed our doorbell cameras. Along with every other person who had one in the whole hallway. She did all that while screaming like a maniac thatshewas Caleb’s true love, and they’d be together one way or another, promising to permanently remove me from the equation.
Even after she was arrested, I wanted someone else. I didn’t want her to get out on a technicality or anything and come back to cause more chaos. I wanted to be able to truly move on from the insanity that was my previous marriage. Thankfully, there were two units on the same floor available. Eddie and I wanted to keep our units on the same floor to be as close as we could. We wanted to share a wall or at least be across the hallway. However, when we met with the leasing office, we found out that the two units were on the floor we were already on, but at opposite ends.
One of the newly available units just so happened to be right next tohisapartment, right down the hall from Eddie’s instead of right next to it. It was also freshly, professionally cleaned and it even smelt like fresh paint. You could also hear absolutely everything through the walls. I loved it, and happily agreed to move in. Eddie wasn’t too happy to be on the opposite end of the hallway from me. But he was happy I was happy and that, as Cash pointed out, I wouldn’t be on my own at the other end.
Two to three weeks after moving in, I started to gather what his routine was. At least on the days I was home from work. Whenever his mentee, Calen, was over, I could hear practicallyevery conversation they had with each other, every detail. And when the kid's mom came to pick him up, she always had some baked goods with the offer of areal mealor the offer tohelp tidy up a bachelor’s home. God, she was tryingso hard,and beingso obvious. Like, girl, I think even the village idiot would be able to figure out that you had a crush.
Every time, I heard him tell her the same thing, “No thank you, I’m seeing someone. I don’t think she’d appreciate it.” He was polite, not rude. I knew he was trying to set a good example to Calen. I still hated hearing this woman hit on my guy, even if he shut her down every time. That part brought me satisfaction though, knowing he had boundaries already in place with her and I didn’t need to worry. I did want to ask if there had ever…been…anything between them. Not that I wanted details, and it happened before me, but I wanted to know if I needed to be on alert whenever she was around.
And he’d also always close the door on her after he was done talking, before she had more time to intervene or say anything else. He would always say a midwest goodbye to Calen, and he always made sure to rebuff her advances when she would butt in. I loved that he made it known he was off the market. It was…an odd feeling, to be stood up for, even when he had no idea if I might be home or not, like it was the most natural reaction. I knew he liked me, especially since we’d agreed we were only ‘seeing each other’, but I was touched that he was running women down.
Staring out the window, something settled deep in my stomach. I wanted to make it official. I didn’t want to be ‘someone he was seeing’ anymore. I wanted to be his girlfriend. His woman. I wanted to see where things go. I wanted to knowabout him. I wanted to kiss him again. We hadn’t kissed since the courthouse.
Amber and I had also had two meetings since getting out of the hospital. Both times I had more evidence for her so I could get a restraining order against both Caleb and the crazy mistress because of all their drama. I was happy that I had moved and they’d have to work a little bit harder to find me. I wanted the restraining orders in place also so I could maintain some sort of peace of mind, knowing they can't just come up to me and start shit with me, they had to stay away from me or face legal consequences. No matter where I was.
That would help to cover my ass. Because if any romance novel ever has taught us anything, it was you could not trust the other woman. They were all fake and tried to be the victim, eleven out of ten times.
Chapter Thirty-One:
Caleb’s POV
I was sitting in the bar after work, a stiff drink in my hand, and greasy bar food on a plate in front of me. I swirled the drink in the short glass, thinking about the shit I had to deal with. I couldn’t believe I’d managed to tie myself to this crazy bitch until the baby was born, and even after, if I couldn’t prove justhowcrazy she was. I had started taking measures though. I didn’t want to risk anything else going on and giving her the upper fucking hand.
Not again. I wouldn’t let my guard down around her ever again.
I had very obvious security cameras installed in and around the outside of the townhouse, covering every inch of my property, leaving zero room for any blind spots. I also placed hidden cameras throughout the house, multiple in each room, that worked without wifi, and saved the video to a SIM card that needed replacing once a week. I backed up those SIMs on different hard drives and clouds. I wanted copies. I wanted to cover my ass.
Why the fuck did I ever get messed up with that bat shit crazy bitch? How the hell did I ever think she was better, even for a night, than my beautiful Devin? How was I so blind to what she was working up towards? Why did I take her for granted? Why did I think she’d never find out? She didn’t deserve this. I did though. I was an absolute fucking moron. And this was karma coming back around and kicking my ass.
I had a ring doorbell installed, as well as cameras above the door of the townhouse. I also notified management that Iwas to be the only one with a key, and that if anyone came to ask for one, they were not to give it out and call me. I had been working hard since the court case to build a legal wall between Becky and myself. I had a restraining order against her, and the only time it was alright to see me was when there was no one else who could do a meet-up for the child exchange when the baby was here.
Psycho baby momma was not allowed anywhere near my apartment, though, thankfully. I had started setting up a neutral nursery right next to my room, because she wouldn’t allow me at her appointments, so I didn’t know what my child’s gender was. She also said that she didn’t want me at the birth, so I’d have to see what my lawyer could do.
If there was anything he could do. It wasn’t likely, but I’d missed so much of their life already. I hated that I wasn’t more prepared. I’d taken parenting classes, birthing classes, CPR and basic first aid classes, newborn specific classes.
I may have been the worst husband in the world, but I was going to be a kick ass dad for my kid. I wasn’t going to let them down. Not when I was doing so much to build my life back up. I had gone to my CO at drill earlier this month and said I wanted to go full-time officer in the Corp. He offered to help.
Thankfully I’d made enough friends in the industry that I could easily get another job until I could go full-time in the Corp. I needed stability and something with amazing benefits, because it would be best for my child. I was interviewing with other companies, because I knew I was being watched by HR constantly, and none of the females in the office would talk to me.
Word had spread like wildfire about me sleeping with Becky. Hell, even after I found a new job, my new boss somehowfound out and said when he offered me the job that if I pulled a stunt like that at this company, he would ruin my reputation in the industry and I would never be able to work again.
He promised that I’d be lucky enough to have a job flipping burgers.
Fucking prick.
