Page 82 of Mr. Big Mistake
The judge held up the note. “I’ll read it out loud.”
Kelly held out her hand. “You don’t have to do that, Your Honor.”
He cleared his throat. “Judge Johnson. In light of the ruling you made four weeks ago, I can now say with full--.”
I stood to my feet. “Your Honor, this sounds like it’s of a personal nature--.”
The judge glared at me. “I want you to hear this.”
I nodded. “And I understand that. But, it’s obvious to me that Miss Crown is embarrassed at having it read out loud. I won’t allow you to embarrass her. So, if I need to see it, I can read it of my own volition.”
I felt Kelly’s eyes on me as the judge narrowed his eyes.
“Let me remind you that you’re in my courtroom.”
“I understand that, Your Honor. But, the requirement was to turn them in, like they’ve been turned in. There wasn’t a requirement of reading anything out loud.”
Kelly spoke softly. “It’s okay. He can read it.”
I looked over at her. “Are you sure about that? Because it doesn’t have to happen. I can call a lawyer within two seconds and have this entire thing--.”
“Just let him read it so we can get out of here.”
Her voice sounded so weak. So defeated. So hurt. And I wanted to strangle our judge. But, I stilled my anger long enough to look back at the man. Who, for some reason, was now grinning.
“All right. What does it say?” I asked as I stared at her.
He cleared his throat. “Judge Johnson. In light of the ruling you made four weeks ago, I can now say with full capacity that this marriage was a mistake. I thought maybe things could work, but after catching Mr. Brenden Hearthstone with another woman in a casino, I had to leave. I understand if you need to punish me for not living in Brenden’s place for the last week, but I just couldn't be in the same space as him. Not after falling for him and watching him be happy with someone else as if I didn’t exist. I just want to move on with my life after this, and try to find someone who enjoys me in the same way I enjoy them.”
I didn't take my eyes off her. “Is that really how you feel?”
She sniffled. “It is.”
“I need you to look at me and say that.”
She slowly turned her eyes toward me. “That’s how I feel Brenden.”
And I saw the sincerity behind her eyes.
“Care to add anything, Mr. Hearthstone?” Judge Johnson asked.
I finally turned my attention to him. “I agree that we had something. I agree that your punishment was almost a blessing in disguise. But, I screwed things up. I made a poor choice, I took some wrong turns, and I can see that there’s no getting us back on track. So, if this annulment is what she wants, then I want her to have it. Because all I want is for Kelly to be happy.”
“You do?” she asked.
I couldn't stand to look at her. “Just grant us the annulment, Your Honor. This isn’t fair to either of us any longer.”
He stared at me for a long time before he picked up his gavel.
“A word of advice?” the judge asked.
I nodded. “Of course, Your Honor.”
He peeked over at Kelly. “Women are more understanding than many of us give them credit for. Learn to talk to them, above all else. I hereby grant the aforementioned annulment.”
Then, his gavel hit the podium.
I didn’t bother looking over at Kelly. I didn’t bother thanking the judge. All I did was gather my things and walk out. I didn’t give a shit about whatever came next. All I hoped was that Kelly was happy with it. That she found a man that was better than me and could love her more than I ever could.
