Page 1 of The Wrong Guy

Chapter One

Audrina

“Are you Audrina Bancroft?”

I turn to look to see who is addressing me and see someone with a black suit and a tie fastened around their neck. The man is looking me up and down expecting confirmation from me.

“Yes, I’m Audrina Bancroft,” I reply. I wait for him to hand me the paperwork that is in his hands. I knew this day would be coming relatively soon, and it was only a matter of time.

My marriage had ended about six months ago when I caught my soon-to-be ex-husband, Derek, cheating on me with his secretary. I suspected he was seeing someone on the side; I didn’t think it was Brenda from the office.

Derek Bancroft tried to make nice with me the past few months, but I couldn’t even look at him. It breaks my heart that our marriage is over, but I can’t look at him the same way and not see him bent over the desk with Brenda below him. Her red hair was all spread out on the desk like this was a skin flick.

“You’ve been served,” the man states and hands me the paperwork.

Something shifts inside me as soon as the paperwork is in my hands. It is something I didn’t expect to feel—a combinationof happiness, relief, and sadness. I did try to make this marriage work. I didn’t want to be another statistic whose marriage ended.

I leave the yoga studio with the paperwork in my hands and return to the apartment I’m renting above the Chinese restaurant downtown. It isn’t a horrible apartment, but it is a world’s difference from the apartment I lived in with Derek.

“Can you spare some change?”

I dig into the pocket of my purse and pull out a five-dollar bill, then stick it in the cup that had been thrust into my face. “Have a great day,” I reply cheerily.

The man smiles as he looks into his cup. “Thank you, lady!”

My phone is ringing in my purse, but I ignore it. I must get home and review this paperwork as quickly as possible. Derek is more affluent than I am and has more connections with everyone. There is a good possibility that he has managed to get me stuck in some limbo. I would have hoped he wouldn’t do that to me, but I also didn’t expect him to have an affair for over a year with Brenda.

After tossing my bag on the dining room table, I take the paperwork to the living room and plop on the over-stuffed reclining chair. I tear open the packet.

I skimmed a bunch of words, and then I saw the fine print.

He’s writing me out of everything.

I looked further down and saw the gross amount of debt in my name, and I lost track after the first couple of commas.

My eyes get heavy with unshed tears, and I want to scream. I can’t believe this is happening to me. I loved Derek for everything I was and couldn’t think how nasty he was getting with me.

I pulled out my phone to call my older brother, Andreas, to ask him for advice. Andreas is older than me by a few minutesand has always looked out for me. I value his opinion and know he will know what to do.

It also happens he’s a partner in one of the leading law firms in New York.

“Hey, Audrina! How’s it going?” Andreas asks with background noise playing over his words.

“Andreas, Derek served me the paperwork. I need to talk to you.”

“Hold on a minute!” he yells over the phone and then hangs up on me. I’m shocked that he would hang up on me.

It is a minute later when he calls me back. “Sorry, I had to get out of there. What kind of paperwork?”

“He served me divorce paperwork. Can you come over?” I beg.

“Drina, I don’t know much about divorce settlements. Let me call one of the other partners, and I will get you an appointment with him.”

I have heard how much my brother charges an hour, and I can’t imagine how much another attorney would charge. I know I’m family with Andreas, but these attorneys aren’t cheap.

I’m beginning to second-guess everything, and I start to backpedal. I should take the arrangement from Derek and just be done with it all. I shouldn’t fight about it.

My heart starts to hammer in my chest. “I don’t have the money that an attorney would want from me. I don’t have much of anything.”

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