Aiden leaned in. “Icannotwait until you meet someone,” he growled. “I’m going toloverubbing it in your face when your caveman comes out.”
Mason gave Aiden an incredulous look. “You better pray to God his caveman doesn’t ever come out. We’ll be cleaning up a goddamn crime scene if it does.”
Michael waved away Mason’s worries. “If you guys would shut the fuck up and let me finish, please…” We all shut our mouths. “Let her move forward with divorcing you, Gabe. And while she’s doing that, we’ll start helping her plan your wedding.”
I was still confused. “What?”
“Justice’s concern is that you only married her because you were drunk and feeling threatened, right?” I nodded. “So, we show her that you’re marrying her because you love her.”
I shook my head. “I will not be divorced, Mike. Not ever.”
He rolled his eyes. “Justice won’t get that far,” he explained. “By the time we’re done with her, she’ll be so sick of invitations, lace, cake…anything wedding related, she’ll realize it’s just easier to stay married to you.”
“That’s super hardcore manipulating, Michael,” Mason pointed out.
“Means, ends, and all that jazz,” Mike replied. “Besides, her love for him is not what’s in question here. She wants to be married to him. She just wants him towantto be married toher.”
I agreed with Mason. This was super manipulative, but I didn’t know what else to do. Letting her ‘divorce’ me while forcing her to plan a sober wedding might just work.
Chapter 15
Justice~
Apparently, it’s harder than it sounded to get in touch with a divorce lawyer.
I had spent my lunch time eating and looking up divorce lawyers in the area. Some sites seemed promising, and some seemed sleazy. But everyone I contacted greeted me the same way; I could make an appointment to meet for some time next week.
Now, while a week might not seem like a big deal to most people, for me it was a huge problem. The longer I stayed married to Gabriel, the harder it would be to walk away from him.
I had just finished taking the longest shower of my life, and I was walking into the kitchen, when I heard Gabriel’s keys unlocking the front door. It could only be Gabriel, since no one else had a key.
He had already been gone this morning when I had woken up, so we haven’t spoken since he made it clear he didn’t love me last night.
My stomach still churned every time I replayed his words in my head, so I ignored him and went about my business.
Since this wasn’t a real marriage, I didn’t feel the need to greet him at the door or have his dinner ready. I don’t know what he did to feed himself when he was at home, but he was alive and well, so he must manage well enough. He could manage now.
And even though I was the one pushing for this, I still hated how I’d gone from loving him and basking in the passion of our times together to barely being able to speak to him.
I was cutting up an apple when his voice sounded from behind me. “Is that what you’re having for dinner?”
I spun around to find him leaning against the refrigerator, arms crossed, his suit jacket gone, and the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. It just wasn’t fair that he should look so good. And it really wasn’t fucking fair that God had made two of him. Gabriel and Michael side by side was a sight to behold, that’s for sure.
“No,” I replied as civilly as I could. “It’s just a snack. It’s only…wait, what are you doing here so early?” Gabriel had mentioned, before he and Michael started at BI, that since Mason and Aiden were usually stuck at the office until six, he imagined the same would be demanded of him and Michael. And then there was the hour drive to my house from the city.
“I left work early,” he answered, not adding anything more.
“Oh.” I turned my back to him and went back to cutting up my apple.
“I talked to Mason,” he said from behind me. “He said I could put in a request tomorrow with speak with BI’s legal representation. He was pretty sure they could recommend a good divorce lawyer for you.”
My stomach sank to my knees and my hands started to shake at his words. And then I cursed myself for being 20 different kinds of a fool. This is what I wanted, right? I didn’t want to be with a man who only married me because he was drunk and feeling foolish. Iwantedto end this sham of a marriage, right?
So, why the fuck did I feel like crying?
I had felt like crying this morning when I had taken the rings off, and now, I wanted to cry because he was giving me what I wanted.
What an emotional fuck up I was.
