Page 7 of Grid Search

“She purposely did something to prevent the pregnancy,” Cherise interrupts.

“Mr. Pikard, please get control of your client.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ms. Amberley, I see from your medical records that your physician made recommendations for treatment, but Mrs. Benedict insisted on doing it her way. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir,” I answer.

“Ms. Amberley, how old were you when the prenup was signed?”

“Objection,” Mr. Pikard interrupts. “That has already been ruled on.”

“Mr. Pikard, if you don’t want to be held in contempt of court, you’ll let me look over this situation again. I don’t like that you used the motion that her father had the power of attorney due to her age and could sign off on it. She is an adult now and should have the right to decide whether or not she wants to get pregnant by a possibly dead man.” The judge turns back to me. “Ms. Amberly, you are aware that by divorcing Sayler Benedict, you will no longer be eligible for any of his military benefits?”

“Sir, I don’t use them. And to answer your previous question, I was sixteen.”

“I find for the plaintiff. The marriage of Lynae Amberly and Sayler Benedict is hereby terminated. There will be no division of property, as each party will retain what they brought into the marriage. Ms. Amberly will keep her inheritance, and if Mr. Benedict is found safe, he will retain his, with neither partyclaiming a share of the other’s. Mrs. Benedict, you will cease all motions and all contact with Ms. Amberly.”

I sit here for a moment after the judge exits, taking it all in. Memories flood my mind. Being forced to marry a man four years older than me, someone I thought was my best friend. Sayler only married me because he had to join the Army to be eligible for his inheritance, a clause his grandfather put in place so he wouldn’t “give money to a lazy man.” I had to marry him because my father threatened to beat me if I screwed up his payday. The Benedicts had found out he owed serious money to a bookie for gambling on horses. He was the horse trainer on the Benedicts’ horse farm at the time. My mother had already died. My father would have done anything to get rid of me because he couldn’t use me against her any longer. He needed the money so he could go get drunk again.

Little did they all know that, four years later, Sayler and I would be getting a divorce. That he’d been sleeping with someone else. Or that, during our divorce proceedings, he would go missing in action and be presumed dead. I’m no longer the quiet, docile girl. I have money and position now. I have my degree, and up until a few months ago, I had family.

My grandmother swooped into Tucson a year and a half ago and took over my life, demanding to see the paperwork my father had signed. Now, I’m divorced and ready to start my life over in Prominence Point. I’ve been fighting for over a year to get out of the marriage. I need to get away from Sayler’s family. His mother spent every day I was in their life breaking me down. I’ve tried to build myself up since my grammy came here, but it’s hard when all you’ve ever heard is that your only value lies in your beauty and your ability to make babies. That I’m too stupid for anything else. The worst part is, I’m extremely smart, just not smart in the areas Cherise deems valuable, like fashion and design.

I graduated as valedictorian of my class in early childhood education. I’ve already landed a job as a first-grade teacher at Prominence Point Elementary. I’m excited to start this new chapter of my life. But I do worry a little about running into a tall, dark, and blue-eyed handsome man named Ryker. I dream of him almost every night and wake up panting for his body.

“I will make you miserable.” I turn to see Cherise standing behind me.

“Don’t worry, we already filed the protective order to keep you away from Lynae,” Clive says, and smiles down at me.

“I should have had that baby. It would have been mine to raise.”

I pause and look around the room, trying to figure out who she’s acting for.

“Cherise, there was no baby, and if there had been one, it would have been mine. Not yours. Mine.”

I turn my back on her, and Clive and I walk out another set of doors. I pray I never see her again.

Chapter Four

LYNAE

It’s been four weeks since my divorce was finalized. In that time, I was notified that after more than a year of being missing and with new evidence surfacing, the Benedicts have determined that Sayler is dead. Funeral arrangements were made, but I didn’t attend due to the protective orders. Plus, I never wanted to see them again. Instead, I took some time to mourn Sayler on my own.

I didn’t expect to be sitting in my gynecologist’s office so soon after my last visit. But after weeks of feeling sick and exhausted, I decided to come in when nothing else seemed to fit. I’m praying I’m wrong.

Dr. Kendall walks in with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Oh my God.” My stomach lurches, and she hands me a bowl as I vomit. “I just got them out of my life. How did this happen? You said it didn’t take,” I say between bouts of retching. “You even did an ultrasound after Mrs. Benedict left, just in case, and there was nothing.”

She nods and purses her lips. “I did, Lynae. Have you had sex recently?”

“Oh my God.” I double over again as memories of Ryker flash through my mind. This time, my vision clouds over, and Ifeel faint. This cannot be happening.I was supposed to get the morning-after pill, but then life happened. What am I going to do?

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“I did.”

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