Chapter 100

Fiona

I adjust my pantsuit one last time before following Mr. Adair into he courtroom. After one hearing two days ago, we are finally entering the final divorce hearing. There were some issues at the first hearing with Jack’s lawyer, so the judge had to order us to reconvene today.

As Mr. Adair and I take our seats at our desk, I glance to the left to find Jack sitting alone. I guess he was serious when he shouted at his lawyer the other day.

“Since you’re so incompetent, I’ll represent myself!” He’d screamed during the session. It’s the main reason we had to reconvene. Like always, Jack was acting like a self-entitled prick who got angry when things didn’t go his way.

And things are not going his way.

“All rise,” someone calls as the judge enters. We all stand, Jack slower and with a huff of annoyance which does not go unnoticed by the judge. I bite my lip to hold the smile back as the judge sends a brief scowl at Jack.

“Let’s get this hearing going since the last one was so rudely cut short,” the judge says, his stink eye still on Jack. Mr. Adair nods to me, signaling that this is a good thing for us. The worse Jack acts, the easier it will be to convince the judge he acts the same way in our marriage. Neither Mr. Adair or I believe it will be hard for the judge to find.

“Mr. Adair, your case,” the judge urges, motioning for him to step up.

“Your Honor, my client, Mrs. Fiona Aldridge is asking for an expedited divorce from Jack Aldridge for multiple reasons,” Mr. Adair announces. “My client has been married to Mr. Aldridge for several years but has been treated as less than equal.”

“How so?” The judge asks, looking down at the papers on his desk.

Mr. Adair steps closer and speaks again, “Mr. Aldridge urged my client to stay at home as a wife and didn’t give her the support or encouragement to join the workforce, which forced her to depend on him alone. In any normal marriage, this would not be a problem, but in this case, it became detrimental to my client.”

The judge lifts his eyes, and they bounce between and Jack.

“Mr. Aldridge spent most of his marriage cheating on my client and plotting to steal her inheritance. These actions were full of malicious intent with the knowledge that my client would be harmed in the end,” Mr. Adair claims, and when I look over at Jack, he’s fuming.

“Is this true, Mr. Aldridge?”

Jack doesn’t answer the judge’s question, which makes the judge hum.

“Not only did Mr. Aldridge cheat on his wife, but he also stole nearly half of the five million dollar inheritance her mother left after passing a few years ago. He has secretly siphoned the money through a through a business that is running illegal practices—”

“Your Honor,” Jack interrupts. “My wife and I had a joint account. As spouses, the money belonged to both of us.”

I scowl at him, and he smirks.

“Yes, but the money left by Mrs. Aldridge’s mother required the signed consent of my client for it to be transferred out of the savings account,” Mr. Adair fires back, and I try to keep calm. No matter what Jack says, he can’t win this.

We have enough proof to bury him if he fights against us, which clearly, he will.

“My wife signed the transfer papers of her own free will, giving me permission to remove the money from the savings account you mention,” Jack argues.

“Your Honor, I have proof that the forms Mr. Aldridge claims his wife signed are, in fact, forged.”

The judge straightens up at Mr. Adair’s words.

“On page three, you will find the transfer forms with said signature at the bottom right of the page. The fourth and fifth pages are testimony, explanations, and lab results proving that the signature is a forgery,” Mr. Adair presents, and the judge begins flipping through the packet of papers he has.

It only takes him a moment to find the pages, and I watch as he focuses on the words I’ve read multiple times.

I take the moment to glance at Jack, who has become pale with surprise. I almost laugh. If he hadn’t fired his lawyer and if he’d bothered to look through the submitted evidence, he would have seen the evidence.

“I will take this into consideration, Mr. Adair, but as you know, I have no jurisdiction over inheritance cases. I can only rule on the divorce and the asset settlements. This issue will need to be disputed at a different hearing,” the judge reminds us.

Mr. Adair nods understandingly, “Yes, Your Honor.”

Satisfied that we aren’t arguing with him, the judge lets us continue. I clutch at the seams of my pants, ready for all of this to finally be over.

“For the pain created in this failed marriage, my client demands that her husband be denied the assets in which he requests,” Mr. Adair announces.

The judge raises a brow then looks at Jack. I look at him as well to find him glaring at me. He doesn’t even notice the judge is looking at him.

“Mr. Aldridge.”

Jack jolts and turns to the front. Is this how he always acts or is it just because he’s personally invested in this case? I can’t imagine him rising in the Law Firm if this is how he normally handles cases.

“Your Honor, I’ve submitted the request to retain every asset from our marriage,” Jack says.

“Every asset? You wouldn’t leave anything to your wife?” The judge asks, and I can tell he’s trying not to sound surprised. Anyone would be, except me. Jack has always been and always will be a selfish bastard. It just took me time to see it.

“And you, Mrs. Aldridge?” He asks, directing the question to me. I slide the list I’d spent days contemplating over to Mr. Adair. He already put a copy in the judge’s folder.

Mr. Adair clears his throat, speaking, “My client requests the following assets at the finalization of this divorce: the house they first bought when getting married since Mr. Aldridge just bought a new house and hadn’t sold the other; half of the amount in his retirement account; a name change- the forms of which are in the file you have, Your Horor. My client would also requests that Mr. Aldridge pay any debt accrued while they were married since it was all his debt and for him to cover today’s court fees.”

“What?” Jack shouts, and it seems like he hadn’t looked at this paperwork either. Had he read anything we submitted? I jump in surprise as the bang of Jack’s fist hitting the desk echoes in the room. “This isn’t a personal shopping spree, Fi—”

“Order!” The judge demands, slamming his gavel on the table.

Jack immediately goes silent, and my fingers curl into the hem of my blouse as the judge looks over the paperwork again, his eyes intently scanning each one again.

“In light of the evidence presented and the behavior of the husband, by the power vested in me by the state, I declare this divorce approved. The assets you have requested are also granted. Congratulations, Ms. Bowen,” the judge says, cracking the gavel against the table twice.

My maiden name has never sounded better.

Standing, I throw my arms around Mr. Adair.

“Thank you so much!”

“You’re very welcome, Ms. Bowen,” he says, smiling as we pull apart. “It was a pleasure to put him in his place.”

I glance at Jack, who is shoving papers angrily into his briefcase.

“Is there someone you should call to give the good news to?”

My mind immediately flies to Ethan, but then I falter. With the rift growing between us, I’m not sure if I should tell him.

“My best friend will be excited to hear that I’m free of him,” I tell Mr. Adair, and he pauses for a moment before smiling.

“I’m sure she will be. Now, Ms. Bowen. Let’s get you out of here before your ex-husband turns his anger on us.”

Ex-husband.

I smile at the sound of that.