Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 110694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Stupid, stupid girl. Why did I keep thinking that Linc had any redeeming qualities? Childhood fantasies should all be gone by now.
“I see you don’t remember me.” My words sounded as bitter as they tasted. “I’ll give you a small recap. We met in Vegas five years ago. You were there on business. I was at a bachelorette party that I didn’t want to be at. We danced. We drank. We drank so much that the pretend wedding package with Elvis sounded hilarious. Then, you bailed before I woke up the next morning, leaving a note that said, Take the pill. I don’t want any surprise kid showing up. Checkout is at eleven. Order whatever you want for breakfast.” I had memorized the note. I’d read it hundreds of times, wanting to find something in it hinting that our time together meant more to him than it appeared.
His brows drew together, and he studied me harder. I felt like a spotlight had been put on me, and every flaw on my face and body were beaming brightly at him. I didn’t let my insecurity show on my face though. He would never know the truth. Who I really was. How I had thought I loved him that night. How I had believed destiny had played a part in putting us there at the same time.
He gave nothing away. His expression never changing. “Okay, yeah, I remember you now.”
I tensed from the invisible blow. He remembered me…now. Whatever. This wasn’t why I had come here. I didn’t need anything more from this man than his signature.
“Lucky me,” I replied with sarcasm dripping from my words.
He raised his eyebrows, as if I had no reason to be annoyed. To think, I’d been infatuated with this man for the majority of my life. Jesus, I needed my head examined.
I stepped forward and held out the papers with the marriage certificate as proof for him to take. “Seems we made a mistake. The marriage was legal. The county clerk had a copy of our marriage certificate. Here are divorce papers. They are simple and to the point. Just need your signature.”
The incredulous look on his face was followed by a bark of laughter behind me.
“Now, that is why I let her inside the gate,” the blond man said. “Priceless.”
Linc ignored him as he reached out to snatch the papers from me and looked down at the certificate, then back at me. “This can’t be right.”
“Trust me, I thought the same thing. But we can fix it easily enough.”
The hard gleam in his eyes startled me. He was angry. This wasn’t my fault. He was the one who’d paid for the supposedly bogus marriage. I was the one who should be pissed.
“Are you after money? I have lawyers—you realize that? A fucking team of them. They will know this is complete horseshit the second they see it. I’m not giving some hot fuck I had in a casino five years ago a dime.” He shoved the papers at me, causing me to stumble back as I tried to take them and keep from falling at the same time.
His furious expression shifted to the blond man. “Fucking hilarious, Luther. Grow the hell up,” he snarled.
I was speechless as I clutched the papers to my chest. Was he serious?
“You can leave,” he barked at me.
My shoulders jerked, and I winced at the volume and tone of his voice. He wasn’t going to sign them. This was not something I had planned for. Crap! I had to get these signed.
“I’m not lying to you, and I don’t want your money. I just want to be divorced!” I said, raising my own voice and taking a step back from him. I didn’t know if he would do more than shove me next time. I’d never been hit by a man, and I didn’t want to experience it today.
“I was married, and I sure as fuck wouldn’t make that mistake twice. Especially to someone like you,” he said with disgust.
He was successfully shattering my self-esteem. Not that I wanted him to have married me on purpose, but still, he could have chosen his words more carefully. That was a rather nasty way of saying it. No one deserved to be spoken to like this. I was here to fix an issue neither of us wanted.
“These papers say that you did make the mistake of marrying someone like me. Unfortunately for me, I had to drive almost six hours to find you and get your signature to fix this. Not only do I not want anything from you. I want nothing more than to get the hell away from you and never lay eyes on you again. So, if you’d sign the papers, that would be fantastic!” My voice had risen with my anger until I was shouting. Unable to stop myself, I continued, “Furthermore, if I wanted something from you, why would I wait five years?! You might find me unattractive and beneath you, but not everyone feels that way. I need this divorce because I’m engaged.” I held up my hand to show him the diamond ring Hudson had placed on it. “But I can’t get married until I am divorced from YOU!”