Page 39 of The Regrettable Mistake

Steve laughed in my face as he shoved me back another step away from the door. “Your bullshit is what put them in the hospital. You really think she wants to see your face right now? She saw enough of it in that little porno your girlfriend sent her.”

“She’s not my girlfriend. She’s no one and she’s being charged for that incident as we speak.”

Steve stopped for a moment and seemed to assess whether I told him the truth or not. Then, he shrugged his shoulders. “It doesn’t change the fact that you were an active participant in that video. You did and said those things without being coerced to. My sister now has rock solid proof that you married her under false pretenses. I don’t even think she needs to wait on a divorce. Considering you fraudulently married her, Hutch might very well be able to have your marriage dissolved in an annulment instead.”

“I think Hutch might see the error of his ways if he attempts that.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Steve asked Caleb.

“An annulment means they were never technically married. That means my client doesn’t have to adhere to the terms of the prenup since an annulment means there wasn’t technically a legal marriage.”

“You son of a-”

“That won’t happen!” I shouted at Caleb. “You will not screw my wife over. I don’t care what she has to do to leave me in the dust, but you will not do anything that keeps her from what is rightfully hers.”

Steve and Caleb both stopped and stared at me. My best friend did so with a smirk on his face while Steve’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“Steph will get whatever she asks for in the divorce, as long as it is in my control to give it to her. The only thing I can’t agree to is her getting full, sole custody of the kids. I won’t be written out of my children’s lives.”

“Wait, so you’re saying you won’t contest the divorce now?”

“I can’t do that anyway, according to our prenup, I have no choice but to give her the divorce she wants without a fight.”

“You really are a piece of shit,” Steve said to me.

“I didn’t say I would give up on her. I said legally, I can’t contest anything.”

“Steve?” Steph called from the hospital room. He left Caleb and me there in the hallway as he ran back to his sister.

“The baby?” Steph asked. I didn’t hear Steve’s answer, but her sobs made me wonder.

“It’s okay. The baby is fine. Calm down. You have to stay here and get hydrated and get some rest. All the stress you’ve been under isn’t good for either of you.”

“I want to sell the house, Stevie. I can’t go back there.”

“You can come stay with me until you do, then we’ll find you a place.”

“I can’t ever go back there. It’s full of lies.”

My knees gave out from beneath me at hearing her description of our home.

“We’ll do whatever you need. Ollie is here to check on you.”

“No! No, no, no, no. I can’t see him. Please, don’t let him in here.”

The way she moaned those words out as my mere presence caused her so much pain was scarred on my heart forever.

“Make him go away, Steve. I never want to see him again.”

“You have kids together, Steph. Eventually, it’s going to happen.” Her brother used a gentle tone with her as he explained that it was impossible to avoid me forever. “I’ll tell him you aren’t ready yet.”

“I’ll never be ready again, Steve. I want to go far, far away and never see him again.”

“What about Den and the baby?”

I didn’t hear her answer because Steph started to sob again. At that point, a nurse found us in the hallway and told us that we needed to leave because visiting privileges had not been extended to us.

“Sorry Ollie. Let’s give her some time to calm down. Last thing she needs is to get upset again and lose the baby this time.”

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