Leon followed the yellow cab through the crowded streets because he knew this was a shit-show of Michael’s making and Juliette always ended up knee deep in its consequences. He kept wondering why she allowed herself to be injured by Michael’s actions. Leon worried Juliette would injure herself one day when Michael went too far, and she wouldn’t be able to get past her humiliation.
Juliette knew two things on her wedding day about the prenup agreement they had forced her to sign. Michael kept everything from before and during the marriage, and she would receive nothing. Michael ignored a minor detail saying that anything she created during the marriage belonged to her. Since he’d destroyed anything, she’d brought into the marriage and believed he’d kept a tight rein on the money he gave her to use. Michael also believed he’d made it impossible for Juliette to work so that he could keep her where he wanted her. Despite Michael’s efforts, Juliette found a way to work and hid that work from him.
Juliette sat in the taxi watching the city slip past the car window beside her. Humbling wasn’t a harsh enough word to describe her feelings. She hoped that she had enough set up to survive with. She’d authored a novel and sold it. With its success, her agent pushed her for another. Now she was writing a third novel and her agent wanted to send her off on a tour to promote her books. Until now, she’d said no.
Juliette didn’t want to reveal her efforts or success to Michael.
Right now, she had no interest in her writing career. Tonight, she would indulge in self-pity and mourn the loss of her marriage or the farce it had become.
“Ma’am, I’d like to confirm the address I’m taking you to?” The taxi was already moving and yet the driver was asking her this.
Juliette sighed from this minor annoyance. “223 Hearth St.” Juliette kept a small apartment where she kept her writing space. Her pen name had its own identity, and she kept it inside that apartment.
Juliette was ready to abandon her current life and become A.K. Crusader, fantasy romance author.
About a year ago, things got so hectic for Ms. Crusader and Juliette had to stop going to her monthly spa weekend in favour of spending her entire weekend writing. When Michael went on business trips or golfing tours, she’d come here to write.
“How are you going to pay, Ma’am?”
“Take the payment from the app, please. I’ll wait to make sure you receive payment.” Juliette sat in the taxi for a moment while the driver finished the transaction. When the driver popped the trunk of the taxi, Juliette stepped out of the taxi and retrieved her bags. When she straightened, a Mercedes Benz glided to a stop a few lampposts away. This wasn’t the type of vehicle that stopped in this neighbourhood. Leon, the ass, owned several. Annoyed, she decided she wouldn’t confront him. Instead, she headed into the building where she now lived as A.K. Crusader. The main entrance door closed behind after she saw Leon striding toward the building. But it locked behind her. He didn’t get in and all he saw was her entering the elevator.
Leon watched the floor number above the elevator door as it rose. Its elevator stopped at the fourth floor.
Leon took a photo of the names on the small apartment building’s communication system. He had a feeling he or Michael would need this, eventually.
Leon saved the phone number she’d given him under her name and started a photo album for the video, and now this photo. He added notes with the address and floor.
Who did Juliette know here? Eventually, Michael would want to know.
At least Juliette isn’t alone. He’d already confirmed her name didn’t appear on the list of residents.
Once he was back in his car and driving, he tried calling Michael again. “I’m working what?”
“Well, I would normally congratulate you on your third-year anniversary. But you are eighty percent of the way to being divorced. So, I won’t.” Leon felt disgusted at Michael right now. The man didn’t learn from his mistakes. Leon only dated Aria after she left Michael. The friends knew she’d run when Michael pressed her to sign the prenup agreement.
Leon was unaware of the prenup and trusted Aria’s claim that Michael had cheated on her, leading to the disrupted wedding plans. He’d taken pity on her and helped her leave.
Michael was silent for several seconds before he responded. “What are you talking about?”
“Let me send you a video. I suggest you watch it at once. Seriously, watch the video ASAP.” When he stopped at a red light, Leon sent Michael the video he recorded for Juliette. “She made me record that for you. What the fuck, Michael? This is a new low for you.” Aria may have suckered Leon into taking her away and pampering her for a time. But she wouldn’t screw up Leon that badly. Michael had treated Aria like a queen who could do no wrong.
Leon could hear the video playing and then Michael cursing. “Why didn’t you call me before she signed? Those documents weren’t supposed to be delivered until tomorrow and handed to me.” Michael watched as Juliette went numb and shut down. She wasn’t supposed to shut down. She was supposed to fight and give him hell. Juliette was supposed to show her true colours and demand her due. She shut everything down.
“So, you planned to divorce her, just not at your wedding anniversary party?”
“What party?”
“The party your now ex-wife threw for you because Judith Bloom and her country club posse pressured her to throw it.”
“It’s not locked in stone. My signature isn’t on it. So, she can’t file it. I’ll go home and rip it up in front of her face. Or lock it up in my office safe.”
“Good luck with that. She left when I did.”
Leon found he wasn’t willing to offer the information on Juliette’s whereabouts.
“She’ll be back when her money runs out. I give her a day or two. A week tops.” Michael was sure Juliette wouldn’t be able to live the life she’d become accustomed to after marrying him. Sure, he kept a tight rein on the money. But he didn’t neglect her.
“Oh, stop by the security desk. She left her key card there for you, and you have quite the clean up waiting for you, as well.” Leon could hear Michael’s teeth grind in annoyance. The man despised an unkept house. He’d been lucky because Juliette prided herself on her household skills.
Michael watched the video again. This put a wrench in his plans. Their marriage should have lasted two more years before he made any decisions on divorce.
Those papers weren’t supposed to be signed. He’d planned to use them to force her to end the affair she was having.
-Three Hours Earlier- Michael Barron sat in his office overwhelmed by many unfinished projects. There were several prospective acquisition propositions to be assessed and approved. Another long evening awaited him at work. He refrained from complaining as he battled the urge to read the private investigator’s report on his wife. Michael couldn’t understand his fixation on something irrelevant. He battled several emotions after the investigator informed him, she either was having an affair with some foolish author or she planned to leave him. Regardless, she no longer visited the spa and was now renting an apartment. She had him paying for her love nest. That irked him to no end. Michael knew he needed to call her and ensure she avoided him. He couldn’t face her right now. Michael felt he would harm her or do something completely in appropriate. He knew it was too late about the latter problem. He’d called his personal lawyer and orde
“Micky, are you in a mood? Can I help you make it better?” Aria pouted as she leaned on the glass top of his desk, knowing she gave him a full view down the top of her blouse. The woman’s loose blouse revealed everything, since she wasn’t wearing a bra. She clearly offered him whatever he wanted. He wanted a moment of procrastination. Maybe he could forget it was her lips wrapped around his cock? He was also uncomfortable with that. Lately, he’d found he wasn’t interested in other women touching him intimately. Michael would usually brush it off as some weird anomaly. He was uneasy about testing a suspicion he had. Either he had lost interest in sex, or only his current wife could satisfy him. That part currently bothered him. What if he found his desired second wife before the five years were over? He pondered his desires too; what if he found his next wife less enticing than Juliette? Was his desire for her stronger now? Or could Aria make him forget? She used to do
Eventually, he tried to sleep, but that wasn’t working for him. He’d made her sleep with him and now he was used to holding her. Now a pillow was a poor substitute for her soft curves, even though it smelled like her shampoo and her. By morning, he was in an increased foul mood. Angry, he went to cancel her bank and credit cards. Her gym membership and her country club membership card. But he found he was too late. The cards and accounts had already been cancelled. In utter frustration, he texted her phone. [Where are you? Come home right now. This is ridiculous and absurd. We need to talk now.] The reply he expected to get never arrived. What he received was this: [I am home. The separation and divorce papers are all signed. The guests observed me signing the papers, and I have dated everything.] [They are on your desk in your home office. I added a business card to the pile with my lawyer’s contact
Juliette’s morning started out differently from her usual morning. She didn’t set her alarm, having slept in for once, because she could. If sleeping until seven in the morning counts as waking up late. Last night she took care of what she called ‘operation clean break.’ She cancelled her life with Michael, packed up the remains of it when she finished, and sent the pieces back to Michael. Actual pieces, she’d cut every card into many pieces. Let him figure out what he received. The last payment, thankfully, made to pay him back for paying her student debt, was in the bank account before she cancelled her card. She was free to start her new life without him. The payment was slightly larger, but she wanted to finish before he caught on. He’d argue about it until he had his way, and she was bound to him financially again. Despite all her efforts the previous night, she still experienced a moment of panic upon waking up naturally, without the aid of her
Michael received no answer when he went to the apartment building Juliette was supposed to have her love nest in. It annoyed him, but he came up with a phone number for this A.K. Crusader and when he called it, no one picked it up. It went straight to voicemail. A voicemail message clearly recorded by Juliette played. “Leave your name and number with a brief message.” This was only getting stranger as he went along. Michael didn’t want to talk to her lawyer. He wanted to talk to her. His investigator claimed he’d followed her and found her meeting with two men. One who followed her as she went shopping before returning to this apartment. They left shortly after arriving. A quick call to the investigator told him he was sitting outside of her lawyer’s office and the man went inside with her. Was this man A.K. Crusader? Michael wanted to know. “Who is he? Is he, her lover?” “I’m unsure about that currently, but he follows her around like a lost puppy dog. I’ve not seen them kiss o
“Aria, what are you doing tonight?” “Oh, I don’t know. What am I doing? You tell me Michael.” He briefly glanced at his phone. Didn’t she run out of his office last night with her lipstick smeared over her lips? She was embarrassed because Leon called him while she was trying to give him a blowjob. This was another strike against her. Michael knew he couldn’t stand to have a stupid wife. She’d have to prove she’s smarter than she sounds right now for him to even entertain the idea. “Not now, maybe later Aria. I need to get into an art gallery this evening for a private showing. It’s the Levee Gallery. Are you familiar with it? Would you have a connection there? Who could get us in there?” Michael waited for the disappointed whine from her when she realized this wasn’t a booty call. “Oh, that’s perfect Michael. I thought I’d have to miss it all together, because I would not attend alone. Nothing more boring than wandering as the const
Julie entered the bathroom in a hurry. She didn’t want to miss anything. Julie wanted Hugh Dawson, the artist, to see her as acceptable. Who’d been sweet enough to do her book covers for nothing but only for her mention that he’d created them for her? She mentioned every time he made the covers for her. With three books published, his name appeared on each cover as the cover’s creator, beneath her name as the author. Tonight, Hugh wanted to unveil publicly the cover of her fourth book for her to thank her for the exposure of her books gave his work. Rising Tides and Passions Voyage, was her latest novel, a second chance romance of two single people on a couple’s cruise. Julie was nervous he’d expose her identity in his showy excitement. She told Hugh that she’d be here, but she didn’t want him to identify her as the author. Juliette stressed that this was his event, and she didn’t want to detract any attention from him. She wanted to avoid people seeking photos or autographs from her.
“Did I see you with Juliette Monroe? Where did she go?” Michael said. His casual ability to sound both polite and superior simultaneously amazed Julie. “Julie went to use the restroom before the event to avoid missing anything.” Beckett Heinz, or Beck as his friends called him, said. “So, you are friends of hers?” Michael asked. He then continued when Aria rudely interrupted him. Julie didn’t know how Aria wasn’t feeling annoyed by the wild swinging of her drop earring. They sparkled intensely, as Aria sought maximum attention. Even now, Julie worried her outfit was too understated for this gathering. Unlike Aria’s over the top outfit. They expected creativity from Julie and crazy from Aria. Aria’s words ran right over Stephen Jones, Julie’s agent. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Michael dear?” Aria said in a loud voice with a huge smile. She wasn’t really asking. She demanded to be the centre of attention. “We work w