Heather blinked back tears and tried to remain strong as she met her husband's hard gaze across the conference table. So this was it, then? The end of their marriage? Heather felt more like it was the end of her life, especially when her lawyer slid the papers in front of her and told her to sign beside Jake's familiar scrawl. As soon as she put her name on that dotted line, the divorce would be final.
Seeing her hesitation, her lawyer leaned over and whispered, "Trust me, this is the best way. If you fight it, things will get very nasty. Your husband has some...evidence that could be used against you if you make things difficult. He's doing you a favor by giving you the chance to split things evenly and quickly. Sign the papers, Heather. It's for the best, believe me."
Once again, she puzzled over her attorney's remark about "evidence." Jake had never confronted her with any so-called evidence of her adultery, but he'd obviously presented something to her attorney.
Truth was, the only contact she'd had with Jake at all these past six weeks had been through short, curt emails and then through his attorney, informing her he was arranging a quick divorce and that Jake had agreed to give her half of everything they owned to speed up the process. No matter how much she'd begged, her husband wouldn't talk to her, and lord knows, she could hardly blame him. He'd loved her, and she'd hurt him terribly. And in the process, she'd lost her husband, her best friend and the only man she would ever love. She'd ruined both their lives, and why? God, she wished she knew. All she knew was that if she could convince him to give her another chance, she'd spend the rest of her life making it up to him. That's why she'd asked for this meeting, between them and their lawyers. She'd thought seeing her again, seeing how upset and guilty she felt about everything, would convince Jake to at least listen.
Sending him one last pleading glance, she picked up the pen with unsteady hands and seeing no conflicted emotion reflected in his hard eyes, she slowly wrote her name beside his. The tears spilled over and she had to bite back a sob as her lawyer checked over the papers, made a few final arrangements with Jake's lawyer, and then told her she was free to go.
She found herself unable to move...or more accurately, unable to tear her eyes off Jake in fear this would be the last time she would ever see his beloved face. He remained in his seat too, meeting her look with one of his own. But whereas hers was teary-eyed and remorseful, his was as cold as ice. She didn't recognize the hatred in his eyes...he'd always been so loving and gentle. What had she done to him?
She was surprised when Jake told their attorneys that he'd like a word alone with his "ex-wife." When the other men left the room, she was too devastated by the reality of the divorce to say anything. After simply staring at her with hate in his eyes for a few seconds, Jake stood up, grasping the briefcase he'd brought with him, and rounded the table until he was beside her. Perching himself on the tabletop, he opened the briefcase while he told her, "I thought you might like to know that your new boyfriend sent me a few goodies to use against you in the divorce, but quite frankly I was too damned embarassed to show them to anyone but your lawyer in private. Either way, I don't need them anymore."
With that last comment, he stacked two videotapes in front of her. She felt all of the color drain from her face as she imagined with horror what was on them. She wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Ty had somehow recorded their encounters and sent them to Jake. He'd made it clear from the start that he was out to ruin her marriage any way he could.
"Jake, please..."
He shot her a look that said "don't bother" and moved to his feet. "I'm selling the house and moving...hell, I don't know where and probably wouldn't tell you if I knew," he informed her coldly. Oddly, he seemed to hesitate before closing the briefcase and she saw his jaw muscles clench the way they always did when he was struggling with a tough decision. Finally, he simply closed the briefcase and started to walk away. "Have a nice life, Heather."
Heather was desperate to stop him and blurted the first thing that came to mind. "What if I'm pregnant?"
Jake stopped in the door and she saw his entire body tense. She seized the opportunity to point out, "It would be yours, Jake. I know it's yours." And then she prayed she was pregnant with his baby, his baby, not Ty's, because she knew he would stay with her if she were carrying his child. She didn't know if she was pregnant or not. She was late, but that wasn't unusual, especially given the stress she'd been under. Of course, there was a slight chance she could be pregnant with Ty's baby, but she refused to accept that she'd have to live the rest of her life with a reminder of her betrayal.
Slowly, Jake turned to face her. She barely recognized him, he looked so...harsh. "Do you honestly think it's likely to be mine?"
She couldn't lie. "I don't know. There were a few times...before you left for your trip..."
"As opposed to the five or six or God knows how many times with Ty?" he scoffed. "Don't play me for a fool, Heather. If the baby is mine, I'll gladly be its father, but I highly doubt it will be."