Matrimonio Rotto

tredici

◇unedited◇

With the presence of a lawyer which James had been glaring to because he knew the lawyer and he was familiar with him. The three of us were seated in the living room. We sat on a different couch to keep the peace.

"Where is the presence of your lawyer?" Abraham asked James.

"I don't need one. Didn't you work for my brother? That makes you from both of our sides. Besides, I'm not going to put a fight. Have you prepared the papers?" James asked in a done-for and bored tone.

I noticed Abraham being conflicted about it but gave the papers to James anyway. And James didn't even read them again for evaluation and just signed them, then he handed the papers back to Abraham.

"I signed them. Can you move back here now?" James turned to me and I lifted my eyebrows in surprise.

"What?" I asked haltingly.

"You said you will stay. So, move back in tomorrow." James said stubbornly and he didn't look like he would back out.

"James... I can't. I have a house that I stay in now." I refused to give in to his pleading.

"Where?" He asked persistently.

"Why? You can't just invade my privacy whenever you feel like it." I tried to explain to him that I needed my privacy now that we divorced.

"I didn't say."

"But you will." I replied. He frowned and looked so innocent because he was so vulnerable.

"I will turn in the papers soon." Abraham said.

"Okay, now go away." James replied to him, not bothering to even look.

"Thank you for your help, Abraham." I stood up to escort him out. But, James beat me to it. Not to escorted him out, but to stop me from going.

"Give me a call if you need any changes." Abraham nodded his head, it was only something the both of us know.

"Of course." I nodded my head.

I watched him walked out of the house until there was no sign of him anymore. Then, I gathered up my things and put them in my bag. I had no intention to stay here for long because my daughter was home.

As I was in hurried, a chewed toy dropped out of my bag. I was sure that my hand was quick enough to grab it and put it back without James noticing it. But turned out, my hand was not fast enough even though it was so close.

"A chewed toy? For kids? Why do you have this kind of stuff?" James asked suspiciously as he examined the toy. His frown got deeper as he tried too hard to think.

"Isn't it cute? Diane's daughter gave it to me." I lied sweetly. I even smiled despite my pounding heart.

"Why?" He asked, not convinced yet. He needed to know the detail, I knew it. He was just like that kind of guy. "I'll keep it." Then, he changed his mind. My eyes widened but tried not to fight back.

"Why do you want to keep such a toy, James? It wouldn't fit you." I said, tried not to beg for her favorite chewed toy. The reason why I always carry it around was that Fiorelli loved the toy. She wouldn't want anything else other than that chewed toy.

I tried to reached out to take it, but James tightened his hold on it.

"Doesn't matter. She must have given you more than one. So, I will keep this one." He said, leaving no room for arguments.

"Okay." I gave in because I didn't want to fight with him and ended up exposing myself. "I have to leave now. I will be back on Monday." I said, ready to leave the house.

"No." He stopped me. "Stay." Then, he begged.

"James, I can't. Stop this, okay?" I looked at him, asking him to stop with this begging game he started since I came back. "Don't you need to prepare yourself for the wedding? It's in a week from now."

"No, I don't." He objected strongly.

"Okay. Then, just rest up. Let them do the work and you just need to be there." I nodded, convincing myself that it would be okay. It won't hurt, because I won't be attending the wedding.

They just wanted the wedding to happen. But for the future, they never really talk about that.

"Is it not hurting?" He asked vulnerably. "With you here or not, I won't act as if I enjoy it. It hurts me, Jamee. Nobody could replace you in this house or my heart."

"I don't know, James. It's been years, but I don't want to lie. Fragment memory of you, it was not all bad. But that moment, it hurt still. That moment was like a bomb dropped and exploded, it will always leave a mark." As I told him, his face twisted with hurt like he could feel the hurt himself.

He lunged at me gently and hold me so tight. "I knew you were in danger. So, I asked Vincenzio to handle it, but he couldn't. I'm so sorry, baby. I never meant to hurt your feelings by not acknowledging you in front of my parents."

"I don't know what to do. I thought you will hate it if I revealed us to my parents. But my word hurts you more." He let out a sob that was piercing through my heart.

A part of me understood him, but another part of me was still hurting.

"I've met your mother and talked." I'm not sure if his mother told him about our little time together, I told him anyway.

"You do?" He sounded a bit surprised. "How was she? Was she nice to you?" He asked, but not letting go of me.

"She was always nice to me ever since my arrival to this house." He only hummed in response. We stayed in this hugging position for a while, swaying to let me know that he was not asleep.

It was just a comfortable silence until he decided to spoke.

"Where is she?" He asked, moved his head to be laid on my shoulder. His voice sounded delicate like if he was not careful, it would hurt him.

"Who?" I asked him back. Because I had no idea who he was asking for. Her? The fiancee?

"Our daughter." My heart stopped and our body also stopped swaying. Does he know? Vincenzio.

I trusted him and he told me to trust him for not revealing my daughter's identity. Is it because I use his lawyer to take care of our divorce? How could he do that to me? Again?

I run out of drafts. This is where I'll be struggling to keep up with the once-a-week update.

Notice in advance.