5. Steph

CHAPTER 5

Steph

I heard Ollie’s car pull into the driveway nearly twenty minutes earlier, but he was still sitting out there. For all I knew, he might have been on the phone with the man-stealing bitch monster who had no problem abandoning her son and ex-boyfriend all those years ago.

The thing I didn’t understand was why?

Actually, there seemed to be a perpetual list of whys.

Why would he even give that woman the time of day?

Why would he do this to us? To me?

Why would he do this to his son?

Ollie had to know that woman was no good for Denmark. His son didn’t even know who his biological mother was. At least, he only knew of her through stories his dad told him. Even that had taken a back seat to the time Ollie had been spending with the other woman over the past few months. He hadn’t spent much quality time with his son since Jia – as she was called professionally now – had come back into his life.

The ache in my chest wouldn’t subside and the constant train of ‘what-ifs’ that would most likely never be answered weren’t doing me any good. I patted my belly and cried, because in helping Ollie create a family for his son, the outcome would mean that my child never got to know what that was like. There was no coming back from what Ollie had done or how he had used me, even with a child on the way.

I didn’t trust myself to not fall back into another horrible situation. My too-trusting-self had officially been shelved. Stevie swore to me that he would make sure whoever I dated next was vetted properly, but that just made me feel sick all over again. No woman wanted to run background checks on a potential love interest. Besides, as I’d pointed out to my well-meaning brother, Ollie would have passed a background check with flying colors. Just because someone wasn’t a criminal didn’t mean that they were a good person. Hadn’t I just learned that the hard way?

I peeked out the window again just in time to see my wayward husband grab his travel bag from the back seat. Part of me wanted to yell down that he should leave it in the trunk because he wouldn’t be staying long.

I went to sit down at the top of our stairs and wait for what happened next.

“Steph? Den?” Ollie called out for me and his son. “Hey guys, I’m back. Where is everyone?” Ollie tossed his bags down beside the couch and headed toward the kitchen.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were here…” There was a slight hesitation before he tacked on, “And with your little buddy.”

I could almost hear Hutch, my brother’s best friend, and my divorce lawyer, roll his eyes at that insult.

“Ollie!” Stevie gave a false cheerful greeting. “Good of you to finally come home to your family.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ollie was quick to fly to his own defense. “I’ve been away on business.”

“Yeah, except you failed to mention to my sister that it was personal business and also nowhere near Vancouver as she was led to believe.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play stupid, Ollie. It’s not a good look on you.” I heard what sounded like an envelope full of pictures being tossed onto the table. My brother had them printed out because he refused to hand over his phone to my ex the way he had shown them to me.

“You had me followed?” Ollie asked in an angry tone.

“Of course, I did.” My brother laughed then. “I tried to warn my sister away from you in the beginning because I could see your plan from a mile away. You needed a fucking live-in nanny and she had the right credentials, so you faked a relationship and wifed her up. You never loved my sister though, and that’s a huge fucking problem for me because she is the most lovable damn person I know.”

“I do love your sister.”

“Yeah, you love her so much that you’ve been lying to her and traveling all over the country with your disgusting ex-girlfriend. Honey, I’m fucking my ex who didn’t want me or our kid until I was already taken” My brother mocked in a voice that was supposed to imitate my husband’s. “Sounds a lot like love.” My brother’s sarcasm was meant to be biting toward my husband, but I felt the punch of it just as hard.

“It’s not like that.”

“No? So you weren’t sticking your dick in your ex on these little trips of yours?”

“Fuck you, man! I don’t expect you to understand, but it wasn’t like that at all.”

My brother laughed again and that time Hutch joined in as well. “So, you’re saying that your ditzy, shallower-than-a-teaspoon-of-water ex-girlfriend managed to force you to fuck her?”

“I said you wouldn’t understand, and no, I didn’t fuck her when we were on those trips.” Just hearing him give that distinction made me sick to my stomach. He hadn’t said he hadn’t done it at all. Just not during those trips, if that was to be believed. “That’s all I’m going to say on the subject because this is a conversation that needs to happen between my wife and me, not either of you.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” Hutch stated. “I’m here as Steph’s legal representation.” There was another sound like more papers being dropped on the kitchen table. “Consider yourself served. That is your official separation agreement. You should have your lawyer buddy look it over immediately, watch you sign it, and we’ll get it filed with the court. Steph wants a divorce. Per the infidelity clause in your prenup, you have thirty days to agree to the separation. She also gets this house, and everything in it, her car – paid for, and maintenance fees as well. You’re free to fight that in court, but it won’t stand up.”

I didn’t know what was happening, since I couldn’t see without announcing my presence, but everything was silent for a few minutes before Steve spoke.

“You’re lucky we didn’t get pictures of you and your whore in the hotel rooms you shared.” Steve choked on a laugh. “As if anyone would believe you weren’t sleeping with the woman you shared a room, and probably a bed, with.”

I stood and ran for the bathroom where I promptly threw up the little bit of soup and crackers I managed to get on my stomach earlier. Steve hadn’t mentioned that they stayed in the same rooms together. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, considering how loved up they looked in the very public places where the pictures were taken.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ollie roared. “Steph is home and you just threw that shit in her face?”

“Shit, I thought she was still asleep.” I guess it should make me feel better that my twin didn’t mean to be cruel.

“Where is my son?”

“He’s with your parents.” It was my brother who informed him of that.

“So, she just threw him away because I cheated?”

“No. She was having a hard time coming to terms with what you’ve done and your mom came to pick Denmark up, so that he wouldn’t have to see Steph so upset.”

“Son of a bitch. So, I’m guessing you lot were quick to tell my parents what was going on too?”

No one responded, so I could only assume that there was a nonverbal answer involved. “I want to talk to Steph.”

“She does not want to speak with you and would like any further communication to go through lawyers. She has also put in a request to be able to maintain visitation with Denmark. Ideally, she would prefer if he could stay with her during the week so that his normal school routine is not interrupted. She understands that she has no legal leg to stand on with this request, but we’re all hoping you do right by your son in this matter.”

“I don’t want a divorce,” Ollie stated plainly. “Do you hear that, Steph?” He called out even louder. “I do not want a divorce!”

I didn’t bother to respond.

“At this point, it doesn’t really matter what you want, man. You cheated on her, carried on an affair for months with another woman, and left her to take care of your kid while you ran off to do that. We also have reasonable suspicion that you entered into the marriage under less than honorable pretenses. Steph thought you married for love when in reality it was a business arrangement.”

“You’ll twist anything to make her hate me, won’t you, Hutch? You’ve secretly had a hardon for my wife for years, so of course you’ll take full advantage now.”

“Shut your fucking mouth, Ollie. It’s time for you to leave now that you’ve been served. You can take whatever you brought with you tonight. Nothing else leaves this house without a court order.”

The minute Ollie left, my brother and Hutch came barreling upstairs to check on me.

“I’m so sorry, Steph.”

I waved Steve’s apology off. “It’s not like the truth wouldn’t have been shoved in my face sooner or later. I didn’t think they were getting together to play innocent games of Scrabble behind closed doors.”

“Still, if I’d known you were awake, I never would have thrown those details out.”

“It’s fine.” I groaned because it was anything but fine. I was simply resigned to the fact that there was no changing history and eventually it was something that would settle in and change me. It already had. Every interaction that I’d ever had with another person had come into question. Was it genuine? Were they lying to me and I didn’t know? How could I be so stupid? Why was I so unlovable when a woman who abandoned her kid was worth all the heartache it would cost everyone involved? Would Denmark hate me for everything that was about to happen or would he forget me as quickly as his dad did the moment I wasn’t in his face?

“He can’t come back here, right?” I finally asked Hutch as he and my brother stood paralyzed, waiting for me to say or do something.

“No,” Hutch answered hesitantly. “He’s not supposed to anyway. If he does, you can call me immediately.” He paused a moment, seemingly unsure of himself, then decided to go for it. “Or I could stay just in case.”

“You wouldn’t do that for any other client.”

“You’re not any other client, Steph.”

“I’ll be here with her, Hutch.” Steve finally spoke up. “We should discuss one more thing before you go, though.”

“What’s that?”

“My sister is fourteen weeks pregnant.” I wasn’t sure if Steve informed Hutch of that to throw him off any interest in me – which was laughable to begin with – or if it was purely from a legal point of view.

“You’re keeping it?” Hutch questioned loudly, as if surprised that I would.

“It’s my baby, of course I am. Besides, I just found out about the pregnancy the same week my husband’s infidelity came to light. It’s not like I’ve had much time to process and make a decision, even if I wasn’t so far along already.”

“Sorry, your news shocked me is all.”

“Well, welcome to the club. This obviously wasn’t planned.” I rubbed my slightly pooched stomach. It was weird, in hindsight, that pregnancy had never occurred to me. I had gained weight, especially in my boobs, but also notably in my butt and what I thought was a bit of bloating in my midsection. Eating my feelings whenever my husband failed to call or come home had been the most likely culprit in my mind because Ollie hadn’t touched me in months.

“Okay. Well, from a legal standpoint, the pregnancy will have no bearing on your divorce proceedings. At most, it could delay things by six months if the child is born before the six months separation is up. At best, we get you through the divorce and sort out custody and visitation arrangements as well as child support after the baby is born.”

I nodded my head slowly to avoid my nausea turning into a vomit fest. I hated Ollie even more as my brother’s best friend, my lawyer, explained the process for establishing custody and visitation. Finding out I was pregnant and that we were expanding our little family was supposed to be a happy time in our lives. Instead, the joy I was supposed to feel was overshadowed by my heartache and my husband’s many betrayals.

“I need to lie down. Can we do this later?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Make sure those custody papers have a stipulation about not taking the baby out of the state or even more than one hundred miles away without written permission. Can you do that?”

“I will get it added into my notes.”

“Good. If you could also have something in there that his mistress can’t be around my child, that would be great.” Hutch frowned, but didn’t bother to tell me what I already knew. There was nothing he could do about that unless she proved to be a danger to my child.

Before either man could say another word, I walked into my bedroom and shut the door behind me. It sucked to be greeted by all the ghosts of my failing relationship but Ollie had barely been in our shared space lately. His scent had mostly drifted away days ago while he was away on his trip. It helped that I changed the linens, washed the comforter, and spring cleaned the rest of the room the day he left.

This was good practice for the months and years to come. When I woke up, I would clear anything of his out and make the space solely mine. My phone beeped from the nightstand and I stupidly checked it out of habit since Den was away with his grandparents.

Ollie: Please, don’t make any rash decisions yet. Let me explain. I wasn’t with her because I wanted to be. She blackmailed me.

Steph: With what?

Ollie: Something she used to force my hand.

Steph: Obviously. What was it?

Ollie: It’s not important.

Steph: Important enough to throw our marriage away. Keep your secrets, Ollie. It’s nothing new, since you always kept me in the dark anyway. We’re done.

Maybe it was petty of me, but I changed his name in my phone. The asshole couldn’t even come clean, despite the claim that he needed to talk to me. Truthfully, his name change wasn’t so much petty as it was a reminder, since I was such a sucker.

Lying, Cheating Bastard: Dammit, Steph. This needs to be discussed in person.

Steph: It really doesn’t. Say whatever you need to say to my lawyer.

I put my phone on silent and tossed it back on the nightstand. I expected the trite, “It’s not what it looked like,” line. Blackmail was an entirely new excuse for an affair. It also didn’t matter. If there was blackmail involved, that meant he did something blackmail worthy that he refused to tell me about. He had chosen to leave me in the dark about the supposed blackmail Jia had over him as opposed to giving me the truth I deserved. That meant he chose her , her bullshit, and the lies because whatever she was blackmailing him with was worse than anything I might be thinking. That was all I needed to know.