Page 45 of Finally Home

He smirks and looks around to make sure nobody can hear us. “Great. Then let’s go so my girlfriend can get divorced.” He leads me into the room with a hand hovering over my back, and thankfully, the judge isn’t here yet, so he didn’t see me come in late.

My eyes water when I see not only my and Rho’s family, but also Jeremy, Jamie, Wesley, and Asher. I suck back the tears as best I can and walk to the front of the courtroom where my lawyer, William, sits, ignoring the murmured jabs from my ex and his lawyer.

Wes blows me an exaggerated kiss, and Asher smacks him on the back of the head while Jamie snickers. Jeremy rolls his eyes, used to their antics, and mouths, “Good luck, Cupcake.”

I smile at him just as the judge enters, and we all take a seat.

“This judge is notoriously even-keeled but brutally honest,” William whispers. “Don’t be surprised if he asks some pretty invasive questions.”

My body feels like it weighs a thousand pounds, and my anxiety makes it hard to breathe. I breathe in for a count of five, hold it, and then breathe out for the same. After a few breaths I can focus on the judge.

“Good morning, everybody. My name is Judge Collins, and I will be presiding over this hearing today. Now, both parties have submitted written and video statements with their respective reasons for wanting,” he glances to Derrick “and not wanting this divorce, and I’ve seen ample evidence to support the claims, but I do have one question before I make my ruling.” His voice is deep and stern as he addresses the room.

I feel myself start to panic but one glance back at Rhodes calms me; no matter what happens, he won’t run. I’ve always been lucky to have such a phenomenal support system, but Derrick isolated me from most of it. Even after getting so close with the guys in Seattle, I couldn’t help but feel like a part of my soul was missing. It became this constant chasm of sadness in my chest that I tried to fill with work. And sure, that worked for a little while, but ultimately, being home has shown me how much more at peace I am here. The thought of going back to Washington and finding a new place to live so I can continue my work shouldn’t fill me with dread, but it does, and I know I need to find some time to talk to Jeremy alone.

“I see here we have ample reasons for Mrs. Reid to be granted this divorce, the most relevant at this time being irreconcilable differences. Is that still the case?” the judge asks. His focus is mostly on Derrick’s lawyer, but he does glance at mine as well.

Derrick’s voice rings out around the silent room, and it sends a spear of anxiety through my system. “That bitch—” his lawyer elbows him, forcing a grunt from Derrick.

“Yes, your honor,” Derrick’s lawyer says. “Mrs. Reid has made her requests clear, and her only wish is to be granted the divorce. The jointly-owned property and bank accounts will be allotted to my client with no contest from the filing party.” I could be wrong, but it seems like he’s annoyed with Derrick, likely because of his outburst.

Judge Collins clears his throat with a nod, pulls out a thick folder, and holds it up for the court to see. “I’ve read through all thirty police reports that span the course of your forty-eight months of residence at the Concourse Apartment Complex, and I have to say I’m severely disappointed with the lack of professionalism and follow through on behalf of the precinct. Ms. Reid was seen in visible distress multiple times with many domestic disturbances reported, and yet charges were never filed beyond written warnings, nor was either party interviewed.”

My heart lodges in my throat, and I keep my eyes trained forward so I don’t have to see the look on my family’s faces when they put the pieces together and figure out I lied to them about how bad it was before I left.

“It is because of everything I’ve seen today that I have no hesitation in granting Ms. Reid the divorce and forgoing alimony from either party, as well as tossing out the concurrent legal suit filed by Mr. Monroe. I will also grant Ms. Reid’s request to allot any property and joint account holdings to Mr. Monroe.”

The room erupts into chaos, but Derrick is the loudest and most aggressive, forcing the court officers to physically restrain him as Judge Collins bangs his gavel. “And furthermore, it is because of the evidence presented I strongly suggest you keep your threats to yourself Mr. Monroe, lest you find yourself in contempt of court.”

The judge continues to glare at my ex-husband “I am extremely disheartened by the lack of justice before now, and if I see you in this courtroom again because of a domestic violence charge, I will not hesitate to toss you behind bars.”

Derrick continues to mouth off until eventually the judge orders him to be detained until he calms down. His lawyer makes a frantic phone call and glances back at my ex every few seconds with panicked eyes.

I ignore it all, too stricken by the knowledge that I’m free. There’s no sadness or hurt like I expected, only a sense of calm that’s so potent it’s practically tangible. When I look back at Rhodes and see his breathtaking smile, I know, without a doubt, this is exactly how it had to happen. My marriage to Derrick wasn’t good, and I didn’t go through with it for the right reasons, but I truly believe it led me to where I was meant to be all along.

CHAPTER 27

WREN

“How are you handling everything, Cupcake? I expected at least a few tears or even some wallowing. You just went through a traumatic divorce after your ex publicly cheated on you. I know how hard you fought to make it work and watching him throw it away must have hurt even if you weren’t in love with him anymore.”

After the trial earlier this week, Jeremy, Jamie, Asher, and Wes flew back to South Carolina with us, and I invited Jeremy to join me for lunch at Lotus to catch up since I’ve only seen him virtually this past month. He and the guys have been staying with my dad, but today they have to fly back to Seattle for training.

Taking a bite of my food, I ponder his question. “I’m way better than I thought I would be.” In any other situation that might have been something I said just to placate him so he wouldn’t worry, but this time it’s true. The whole thing could have been a bigger deal, but our marriage was already so strained, it feels like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

“This all almost feels like a natural conclusion, which probably sounds weird,” I say through a laugh. “But a part of me always knew there was something seriously wrong, so even though it was a shock, I’m relieved. I did cry for a bit, but it was my way of coming to terms with the knowledge that four years of my life were wasted on someone who was only out for himself. It sounds terrible, but I don’t think I was actually sad about our marriage ending.”

Jeremy grabs my hand and squeezes it gently. “Cupcake, it doesn’t sound like anything more than you finally getting what you deserve. Derrick was, and is, fucking terrible. He never deserved you, and your relief doesn’t make you a bad person.”

Logically, I know that’s true, but hearing it out loud helps alleviate some of my guilt. I smile at him in appreciation as we both tuck into our dumplings for a few minutes in comfortable silence.

“How is it that you have better dumplings in a South Carolina strip mall than we do in all of Seattle, where we have dozens of authentic Chinese restaurants?” Jeremy asks in amazement.

I snicker, because I have no idea why the owners decided to open up in this spot, but I’m damn glad they did. “I don’t know, but everybody I’ve ever brought here says the same thing. These little pillows of heaven are a Godsend.”

“So.” I clear my throat. “Have you heard anything more from the owners about Derrick’s contract?” I hadn’t originally planned on asking, but after Derrick’s texts, Dominic convinced me I needed to bring it to the team’s management. He said he didn’t want me in an unsafe environment when I returned to work.

Jeremy frowns, pushing food around his plate. “I had a meeting with the owners to discuss his future with the Sirens and…let’s just say it didn’t swing in my favor.” He sighs, his expression sad. “Turns out the morality clause is more of a formality than anything else. In their eyes, cheating is a normal and expected part of professional sports, and the fact that you’re both still under your respective Siren’s contracts basically means they plan to sweep it under the rug.”

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