Page 157 of The Baby Twist
“No. I had a few errands to run. She must have come when I was gone,” she said. “I hope you’re happy.” She walked away.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I sat on the edge of the bed. Taking my phone from my pocket, I texted her.
“Stella, where are you?”
She didn’t respond, and I wasn’t surprised. As I was changing my clothes, my phone dinged. Walking over to the bed, I picked it up and saw a text from Nolan.
“I’m on my way to your penthouse with the annulment papers.”
“Okay.”
Walking over to the bar, I poured myself a drink. I heard the elevator ding, so I met Nolan in the foyer.
“Come on in,” I said. “Drink?”
“No, thanks. Here are the papers for you and Stella to sign. You need to get these signed quickly so I can file them with the courts. After a court date is set, you and Stella must be there and stand in front of the judge. I’ve listed the reasons as irreconcilable differences. If the judge gets wind that your marriage was based on fraud, you can kiss your annulment goodbye. So, you and Stella need to be on the same page as far as your stories go.”
“Thanks, Nolan. I’ll try to get these back to you tomorrow. I need to find her first.”
“Good luck, Miles.” He patted my shoulder and headed to the elevator.
Picking up my phone, I sent Stella another text.
“I have the annulment papers, which need to be signed as soon as possible. Tell me where you are, and I’ll bring them to you.”
My heart started racing when I saw the three dots appear on the screen.
“We can meet at the Sculptural Garden at the Museum of Modern Art in thirty minutes.”
“I’m on my way.”
I called Sean and told him to meet me downstairs. He dropped me off at the museum, and I went to find Stella. I sawher sitting on a bench in the Sculptural Gardens and inhaled a deep breath before approaching her.
“Hi,” I said, sitting down beside her.
“Give me the papers so I can sign them and get this over with,” she spoke sternly.
I pulled the papers from the manila envelope and handed her a pen.
“Where are you staying?” I asked.
“None of your business.” She quickly signed the papers and handed them to me.
“Stella, I?—”
“Save it, Miles.” She stared straight ahead.
“We have to go to court in front of a judge after Nolan files the papers. We need to get our stories straight about why we want the marriage annulled. The judge won’t grant it if he or she knows the real reason why we got married.”
“Don’t worry.” She stood up and looked at me. “I’ll tell the judge the truth—that you’re not the man I thought you were, and I made a mistake.”
“You knew exactly who I was when you agreed to this marriage,” I said.
“Did I really?” She cocked her head. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m moving on with my life, and you’ll do the same. You got what you wanted, Miles. I’m just happy it happened quickly so I could get out of this marriage.”
I stared into her beautiful, sad eyes. “What about the baby?”
“What about it? As I said last night, you don’t have to worry about us. The two of us will be just fine, and there will be no baby drama in your life. I’ll see you in court.” She hooked her purse over her shoulder and walked away.
