Chapter 60

Half the room stood gaping at Diana, having heard her blatant statement. The room had grown so quiet that you could hear a literal pin drop.

It was beyond obvious that I wasn’t the only person who appeared shocked by it. Aside from James, who was mere seconds away from losing whatever resolve he had left, both his sisters had stepped up. Lana and Kristen wore similar expressions of vexation and twisted their mouths into tight sneers.

They each grabbed Diana by the arm and pulled her back.

“That’s enough,” Kristen said sharply.

“You’ve caused enough harm and devastation just being here,” Lana added.

Diana clicked her tongue at her daughter’s outspoken behavior. “Please, if anyone here ought to be ashamed, it’s her,” she said viciously while pointing a manicured finger at me.

Instead of wrapping an arm around me like he normally would, James took a fierce stance and actually pushed me back to stand behind him. He was shielding me as though he was anticipating some sort of an attack.

The tension in the room made the air nearly unbreathable.

Lana released an impressive growl and glared at her mother with heavy disdain. “We’re not going to let you ruin the first good thing that’s happened to James since Evelyn’s disappearance,” she snarled.

“It’s time that you let go of your sad, little prejudices against Mia and move on,” Kristen hissed.

My bottom lip trembled in startled disbelief. Ever since I saw those nauseating articles of the story Peter put out about us, I’d been filled with a terrible sense of dread. But having James as well as his sister step up and defend me through this hellish nightmare, made me realize that I wasn’t alone in this.

Both Kristen and Lana turned their heads to glance at James and me. Their expressions softened while they gave a slight tilt of their heads.

“Mia, we apologize on behalf of our mother’s rude and out-of-line behavior,” Lana said.

She and Kristen proceeded to escort Diana out of the house to ensure that she would try anything rash. Our attention turned to Gavin who gave us a discernible stare.

“Best believe that I’ll be in touch, James,” Gavin said. “Being that I too am on the board of directors, I will also be expecting an explanation as well as a resolution to this stifling issue. Soon.”

With that harsh tone of command still floating around in the air, Gavin gave me one last look before turning on his heels and heading out the door.

The second the door slammed shut behind him, my lungs were able to take their first real breath of air.

“I think I’m going to take a short break,” I told James quietly.

My head was killing me and I needed to lay down for a little while. As I made my way toward the bedroom, I kept replaying Diana’s words in my head.

“...There’s only one course of action that needs to happen now...You and James are to get divorced..”

Good God. As much as I hated to admit it, deep down, I felt like James’ mother was right. James and I’s relationship had been nothing but one mess to deal with after another.

‘It’s not supposed to be this way,’ I thought to myself. ‘I know that no marriage is easy, but I truly must have underplayed the severity that came with marrying into the Derek Family.’

Problems like the one Peter had ended up causing, lead to even bigger issues. Now, James was looking at a possible relinquishment from his position as CEO. Everything he worked so hard to protect and rebuild was on the verge of dissolving at his feet once more.

When I made it to the bedroom, I walked straight into the bathroom. I knew I said before that I was looking to lie down, but what my body really desired was a long soak in the shower.

My hope was that it would give my mind a chance to clear up and hopefully regain my ability to focus. No matter how much I allowed myself to harp on the ugly reality that was surrounding us, I had to face the facts...

...

When I finished up in the bathroom, I wrapped a soft, fluffy robe around me and stepped out. I found James sitting on the bed with both his laptop and phone in front of him.

“Hey, I think I’ve come up with a few possible solutions to our problem,” he said.

James kept his eyes glued to his screens whereas I felt equally distracted. So much for trying to clear my head.

This time, James lifted his gaze to meet mine. “Mia, did you hear me?”

“Maybe your mother is right,” I stated.

I watched James’ entire body go stiff. His brows pulled together in puzzlement. “About what?” he asked tightly.

I felt myself shrinking more and more on the spot. “Perhaps things would just be easier if you and I divorced.”

He let out a cold growl in displeasure, causing millions of goosebumps to rake over me, “You don’t mean that.”

“James, let’s be honest...This ‘whatever the hell it is’ between us has been complicated and messy since I first signed the damn contract.”

“You’re saying that you regret signing it?”

“Considering all the trouble that it’s caused us, yes.”

“And if I refuse?” he challenges.

I shook my head. “Then, I feel like things are only going to get worse. This isn’t the life I want for my child. I wanted the security and instead, I ended up with the media snuffing out every dark shadow from my past. Can you blame me for wanting out?”

James’ expression turned sorrowful. A long moment passed. “No. I don’t. But, Mia, understand this. If we divorce, we’d only be proving Peter’s story correct. And we know he’s wrong.”

“So, what do you suggest then?” James gave me a soft smile. “I say, we come clean.”