Chapter 6
"Say something." Linda snapped.
"Let her rest and recover," I said. "My lawyer will contact you about the rest."
"You..."
"And," I added, "I'm suing Michael, too. Every penny he owes me, I'm getting back. If you can get him to pay up, maybe you can cover the surgery costs."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then I heard a weak voice.
It was Julia.
"David please, let me explain it's not what you think" Julia said.
Her voice was so rough, it sounded like sandpaper scraping against glass.
She sounded like she was barely hanging on. "Michael really needed the money for his business. He promised he'd pay me back. I just..."
"Over 570,000 dollars," I interrupted her.
I added, "Julia, you looked me in the eye every day, slept next to me every night, and behind my back, you transferred over 570 thousand dollars to your ex-boyfriend.
"Two years.
"And you hid it so well, I never even had a clue."
I heard her choking back sobs on the other end. "David, I know I messed up, I really do Please, don't divorce me. I swear I'll get the money back."
"You? Get it back? Really?" I scoffed coldly. "He won't even pick up my calls. You really think he's going to pay you back?"
Her sobs grew even louder.
"David, please, come back. Let me talk to you in person. Please..." Julia pleaded.
I stayed silent.
After a few seconds, I finally spoke. "Julia, whether I come back or not isn't what you should be worried about right now."
"What do you mean?" Julia asked, her voice shaky.
"You just had surgery for an ectopic pregnancy."
Her breath caught on the other end.
I continued, "We've been married for five years and never had kids because you said you wanted to wait until your career was stable. But this whole ectopic pregnancy thing..."
I paused. "Who's the father?"
Dead silence. Complete, utter silence.
Even her sobs stopped.
Three seconds. Five seconds. Ten seconds.
"I...I didn't" Her voice trembled. But it wasn't the trembling of someone who was weak.
It was the kind of trembling that came from being guilty to the core.
"I didn't sleep with him," Julia stammered.
"Julia," I said, my voice soft. "A paternity test isn't expensive. Once you're out of the hospital, I'll get one done. If the baby isn't mine..."
I didn't finish my sentence. I didn't need to.
She was already falling apart.
Her sobs turned into screams, then Linda grabbed the phone and started cursing me out, and Frank was shouting, "Take it easy, your blood pressure's going up."
The noise flooded my ears.
I held the phone away from my ear.
After a few seconds, I hung up.
Sitting at my desk, I stared at the law firm's number on my computer screen. I picked up my phone and dialed the number.
"Hello, this is Summit Law Group," a voice answered.
"Hello, I need to consult about a divorce," I said.
"Sure, sir. Would you be available to come in for a consultation this afternoon?"
"Yes."
"Great. What's your name?"
"David Chapman."
"Mr. Chapman, does 2 PM work for you?"
"Yes."
I hung up.
I opened the food delivery app and ordered a 38-dollar braised chicken rice. Threw in an extra drumstick, too. And a Coke.
During the five years, I never spent more than fifteen dollars on lunch.
Starting today, I was going to make up for all the lunches I'd skimped on.