All characters engaging in sexual activities are 18 years of age or older.
Any spelling or grammar mistakes are of my own doing.
This is a quick story, that was requested by a reader.
I love reading all the February Sucks alternate endings.
Keep them coming people.
STORY BEGINS HERE.
Linda stood just inside the gymnasium door, watching the graduation ceremony. Her daughter Emma was getting her college degree. She was so proud of her kids. She also knew that she'd probably never see them again. Keeping those horrible thoughts in the back of her mind, she just smiled and listened to the speeches, by school administrators and guest speakers. Letting her eyes wander a bit, she saw Jim sitting in the second row of bleachers. His parents in the front row, with her own parents right next to them.
Pain tugged at her heart. Emma had told her not to attend the ceremony. Luckily, she had found a mother who felt bad for her, and she'd snuck Linda in.
"I know what you did, and while I think you're disgusting, no mother should miss a moment like this. Stay close to the door, just in case you need to make a beeline outta here." the lady said giving her a small hug, and leaving quickly.
"It should be me over there." Linda whispered to herself.
Life after her night with Marc turned into a nightmare, that she never even considered possible. When she got home the next day, she called out to Jim. She thought that'd she have to beg, grovel, and do all kinds of sexual things for him, to make up for what she'd done. Walking into her living room, she saw her mother, her father, their pastor, their attorney, and two police officers waiting for her. Fearing that something had happened to her kids, she asked if Tommy and Emma were OK.
"Our grandkids are fine. They're with their father. There aren't words in the English language to describe my disgust and disappointment Linda Marie." her father said.
"Why are the police and Bill here?" she asked scared.
"Linda Carlise, you are to vacate the premises...." Bill starting speaking.
"This is my house too, and I'm not leaving." Linda said loudly.
Linda saw her mother start crying. As she took a few steps towards her, her father stood up and told her to shut up and listen to Bill. Stopping dead in her tracks, she looked over to Bill. Once they made eye contact, he started up again.
"As per the prenuptial agreement, you are hereby ordered to vacate the premises. These police officers are here to insure that you take only, seven days' worth of clothing, seven pairs of earrings, seven necklaces, and...."
Linda felt her legs give out and her body crumple to the floor. Tears falling from her face. She has vague memories after that. She knows that she was watched as she packed her suitcases, as the two officers watched her every move. She remembers the pastor praying with her and her family, when she got downstairs.
The divorce ended up being a media spectacle. TV reporters, fans of the team, activists from all different groups and foundations, even people they knew, lined up outside the courthouse. It got so bad, that everyone had to be brought in through an alleyway entrance. She was horrified to find out that Marc had been sending little videos of their night together to Jim on her cell phone. Linda had instructed her attorney to stall the proceedings as much as possible, in hopes of getting Jim to meet with her. She thought that if she could talk to Jim alone, she could convince him that she was sorry and that they could work it all out. Together as a family.
Marc was so smug, arrogant, and uncooperative on the stand, that the family court judge had him thrown in jail overnight. When he appeared the following day, he was sporting a fresh black eye and a mask on his face from a broken nose. His attitude had changed as well. He was polite and remorseful for his part in the breakup of a family. Or so he said.
At the end of it all, Jim was given sole custody of the children. She had supervised visits with a child protective services representative present at all times. The judge also ordered parenting classes for her and psychological treatment. Once the psychologist signed off that Linda could be trusted not to run off again, she would be granted child visitation, two weekends a month. The prenup was fully enforced. Since the house belonged to Jim before they were married, Linda had to move out and back in with her parents. She was also given only thirty percent of the martial assets.
Linda stayed with her parents for three months after the divorced. That all changed one day, when her father came home, and he was all beat up. Some guys at the golf club were giving him hell about his "slut daughter" and how "she probably got it from her mother." Her father had no choice but to defend his family, and he paid for it by being jumped by three guys.
Needing the money to move out, Linda put "feelers out" about selling her story. Not wanting anymore bad publicity, Marc's attorneys got ahold of her, and offered her a large sum of money to not speak publicly and sign a non-disclosure agreement. Since his offer of over a million dollars was higher than any of the TV networks or publishing companies, she took it. Through her divorce attorney, she was able to find a different job two towns over, so she made the move.
As Tommy and Emma got older, they became more and more distant from Linda. On their weekend visits, they'd sit in their rooms and barely talk to their mother about their what was going on at school or in their lives.
