Page 1 of Belle Amour

Chapter One: The End

September

Mirabelle Adrien rubbed her forehead tiredly as her phone chimed. She was working on preparing the notes her boss and childhood best friend, Bastian Avery, needed for the upcoming meeting with his client at two. While they were both lawyers and licensed to practice in several states up and down the eastern seaboard, she was currently filling the role of his personal assistant until they were able to open their own practice, something that had been their mutual dream since they were in their mid-teens. Checking the text, she frowned. It was her neighbour who lived across the street, and she was telling her to come home immediately. Concerned there was a problem with the house she lived in with her husband, Eddie Shea, also a lawyer but for a different law firm who was in court today, she stood up and knocked lightly on Bastian’s door before poking her head in. “Hey, Bast, do you mind if I run home for an hour?” She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow as another text came in. She looked down to see her neighbour telling her to hurry.

“Everything okay?” Bastian stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, concern crossing his handsome face. She had never asked to go home in the middle of the day out of the blue before, so his concern was justified. While she drew a hard line at staying past her office hours unless there was a court datecoming up, she worked her hours with her focus one hundred percent on him and whatever he needed.

“I'm not sure.” She said slowly as another text came in. “My neighbour is texting me that I need to get home as quickly as possible, but won't elaborate.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” He started to stand up, but she shook her head and flashed him a quick smile. Bastian would drop everything for her, no matter the cost or consequences, and she loved him dearly for it.

“No, I think I'll be fine. I promise to be back in time to finish the prep for the meeting at two.”

“Go ahead, Bunny. Text me and let me know if it's something serious.” He waved her out, looking a little relieved and sat back down.

“Thanks, Bast.” Mirabelle shut the door quietly, grabbed her purse, and headed out. She closed the door to her office and flipped the “Do Not Disturb” panel across, knowing Bastian would lose his mind with the minor interruptions that were sure to happen without her there to stop them. On the way out, she stopped at the receptionist's desk and informed her she would be out for about an hour, and Bastian wasn't to be disturbed.

She drove to her place in Astoria and frowned when she pulled up and saw her husband's car parked in the driveway and his female best friend’s car on the street. Her heart began to pound, and there was a ringing in her ears. She had suspected something was going on, but Eddie had reassured her there was nothing, even going so far as to tell her that she should quit her job because working for one of the highest-priced divorce attorneys in New York State was causing her to distrust him.

She parked out of sight of the windows and walked up, letting herself in quietly. She didn't have to go far; Eddie hadCasey bent over the arm of the couch and was railing her from behind while she gasped and moaned. She stood in the hallway, unable to look away until he looked up and met her eyes.

“FUCK!” He shouted, and she was pretty sure he ejaculated at that moment because Casey let out a low moan.

“Yes, baby, give it all to me.”

Mirabelle felt bile rise in her throat, and she turned and threw up in the fake plant on the hall table next to the door. The sound of her vomiting let Casey know she was there, and she let out a scream.

“Mira, shit. What are you doing home?” Eddie pulled out of his best friend and grabbed at his pants. Casey slowly sat back on the couch, staring at her with a slight smirk on her face.

Mirabelle wiped her mouth and walked out the door without saying a word. She could vaguely hear Eddie yelling for her to come back and let him explain, but she made it to the car and was able to drive away before he got to the sidewalk. She went back to the office automatically. Her phone kept chiming and ringing with texts and phone calls, so she reached over, muted it, and turned off the Bluetooth so it would stop interrupting her music, then dug gum out of the center console, popping two pieces in her mouth to get rid of the sour taste.

At the office, she let Bastian know she was back, telling him something vague about why her neighbour insisted she go home and continued the prep for their two o'clock. She sat through the meeting, having the presence of mind to record it so she could get the essential parts later, and just tried to look present and engaged. Bastian kept looking at her in concern, and she tried to be herself, but it was forced, and she knew he could tell. When the meeting ended at four, Bastian ushered her intohis office and sat her down, pulling a bottle of water out of his mini fridge.

“What happened, Bunny?” He asked quietly, opening the water and handing it to her. Mirabelle took it but couldn’t bring herself to drink it as the image of her husband fucking the girl she wasn’t supposed to worry about came back, and her stomach turned unpleasantly.

“Eddie was fucking Casey on the couch.” Her voice came out robotically.

“That bastard!” Bastian swore, pulling her into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Mira.” His arms around her broke through the numbness she was feeling, and she put her head on his shoulder and began to cry. He just held her, as he’d done countless times in their thirty-year friendship, his hand soothingly rubbing up and down her back until she cried herself out. Sniffing, she sat back again, accepting the tissue he had passed her.

“What do you need me to do, Mira?” He spoke quietly, and Mirabelle knew he was only holding back until she gave him the go-ahead to get started on systematically destroying Eddie’s and Casey’s lives.

“Tear him apart.” Now that she was mostly over her shock, the heartbreak and betrayal set in. While a no-fault divorce was possible in New York, fault-based divorces, while hard to prove, worked out better for the spouse who was not at fault, and evidence of adultery presented in divorce cases often influenced the decisions judges made regarding spousal maintenance. Plus, if they could prove Eddie used marital funds on the affair, he would be forced to pay Mirabelle back.

“Good girl,” Bastian smiled coldly and picked up the phone. Several phone calls later, they were heading back to her house. Mirabelle called her neighbour, thanked her for givingher the heads-up and asked if Eddie and Casey were still there. When she informed Mirabelle and Bastian that their cars were still out front, Bastian led her to his car, going over everything with her as he drove.

“Remain calm and emotionless. Ask questions, and don't let him deflect or gaslight you. Stay on track.” He reached over and took her hand, squeezing lightly as he pulled up outside her house. “You got this, Bunny, and I'm right beside you. Do you have the recording app on your phone ready to go?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, squaring her shoulders. New York was a one-party-consent state, and she was following all the rules Bastian put in place for all his clients, one of which was to record everything. She lifted it and showed him.

“Good.” Bastian nodded approvingly. “Start the recording before you open the door and put the phone in your bra with the microphone pointed up. Remember, as long as you stay calm, you have the upper hand. The minute you have him admitting to the affair, announce that you want a divorce and that everything goes through your lawyer from now on.”

“You do remember that I’m also a lawyer, right?” Mirabelle asked dryly. “I also typed up the document with these instructions and rules that you send your clients.”

“I know, Bunny.” He smiled faintly. “But if I’m going to destroy Eddie, I need you on top of your game, and you’re emotional right now.”

“Actually, I feel pretty calm.” Mirabelle glanced out the window toward her house, where Eddie and Casey’s cars were indeed still parked. “I’m sure this will all come back around and knock me flat later, but at the moment, I’m just happy I’m not as crazy as Eddie made me feel when I questioned him about Casey.”

“Then you’ll be fine. I’ll be right outside; text me if you need me.” Bastian opened his door, and Mirabelle followed suit, wondering why they were both still in the house and what had happened after she left. Lifting her chin, she walked up to the door, turned on the recording app, and let herself in.

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