Page 25 of Fractured (Not Quite a Billionaire)
“Then from what I know, the divorce—dissolution—is simple. We just have to track down your wife and serve her, then get a court date. You won’t even have to appear. We won’t bring up the issue of any property settlement, of course, and we’ll hope for the best.”
“Fine,” Hemi said.
“And I’d recommend that you delay setting any date for your wedding until everything’s settled,” Walter said. “As the terms of the prenup could depend on what you’re required to distribute to your current wife, if anything, and not setting the date will give you a strong psychological advantage. From what my matrimonial colleagues tell me, that leverage could be important. It could save you millions, in fact.”
“Fine,” Hemi said again. “Get it started straight away. Today.”
“The dissolution?” Walter asked. “Or the prenup? Or both?”
“The dissolution. Today. Go.”
A moment of silence, and then music filled the car again. Al Green.Let’s Get Married.
Oh, great. Nice. Perfect.
Hemi twisted the key, pulled it from the ignition, and the music blessedly stopped. “Well, that’s that,” he said. “It won’t be this week. You’ll have time to get your shoes.”
Hemi
“And no,” I told Hope, aiming to cut her off before she started. “Obviously, I didn’t know that I was still married.”
She turned and stared at me for a long moment, her eyes huge in her set face. Then she got out of the car, slammed the door, and started walking fast down the street, in the opposite direction from the café.
I swore under my breath and headed after her, and she’d only taken a few steps before I had a hand on her upper arm. “Do not run away from me,” I told her, and if I wasn’t completely under control? I had good reason. “You want to talk? We’re talking. Now.”
She whirled on me and said, “Do…not…push me! I am somadat you, Hemi. I don’t…” She put both hands on top of her head, made the kind of noise that, in a cartoon character, would be something like,“Grrr!”and I almost laughed in spite of everything.
I didn’t, though. I was more clever than that.
“Right,” I said. “Let’s walk.” Unnecessarily, since Hope was already marching down the street again, fury evident in every line of her body. The storm from the day before had passed, at least, but the air was chilly, night was falling, and she’d left the car without a coat.
I took off my suit coat and handed it to her. “Here. Put this on.”
“I don’t need it,” she said stiffly.
“Hope,” I said. “Don’t pushme.Put it on.”
She swung around on me again. “Do you think you have any room at all to tell me to doanything?”
I took a breath and blew it out, trying to center myself. “Yes. I do. Because I love you. And right now, I don’t want you to be cold.”
She hesitated a moment, then said, “Fine. Whatever. Thank you,” let me settle the jacket over her shoulders, tugged it around her, and turned the corner.
Within a couple minutes, we’d left the commercial buildings behind and were in a residential area. A dog barked as we passed, and that was all. Waihi at almost six o’clock on a June evening, the deep blue of twilight settling in, lights shining from windows and only the occasional car passing.
“I suppose you want me to say that I’m sorry I didn’t tell you there was a…wee glitch with the license this morning,” I said when Hope remained silent. “I didn’t think I’d need to.”
“Uh-huh,”she said. “And what were you going to do if the…weeglitchdidn’t resolve itself, and you couldn’t get the license? I can’t wait to hear this plan.”
“Uh…” I put my hand up and rubbed the back of my head. “I was thinking I’d…” I stopped.
“Hemi,” she said.“What?Talk.”
“Right,” I said reluctantly. “I thought I could have a word with the celebrant and see if he’d do it anyway. As a…an affirmation,” I hurried to add.
She’d turned to stare at me, her steps slowing. “Anaffirmation?You weren’t even going totellme? Or anybody?”
“Of course I was.” I was starting to get narky myself. She wanted me to be honest, and then she didn’t want to hear? Then she shouldn’t ask. “I’d have toldyou, at least. Later. I’d have had to, wouldn’t I? I’d have explained once I had the paperwork sorted, and we could’ve done the official bit back in New York, and we’d have been all good.”
