had some epic tantrum right there in the office and caused a scene. Everything surrounding Morgan set me off. I was a live wire where he was concerned. Either I’d yell until I was hoarse, or I’d collapse into a pile on the floor and cry.
I was pathetic.
I breathed in deeply and let it out again through tight lips. “Okay, I’m walking to my car. Lay it on me.”
“In a nutshell, Morgan is not going to sign the divorce papers and be done with it. He’s basically planning on contesting everything. All your mutual financial holdings, your property, your investments, everything.”
“What? How? Why? He’s never getting out. He’s going to die behind bars, why would he—”
“Jason.”
I growled, biting back any more words since I was garnering the attention of students in the hallway with my elevated tone. The last thing I needed was people figuring out who I was. I’d be unemployed by morning after a crush of reporters lined up at my door.
With a more level voice, I asked, “So, what? He wants half of everything? He wants alimony? He’s in prison,” I hissed. “What good is it to him?”
“It doesn’t matter. He can argue all of it. He can play games until the cows come home if he wants to. He’s within his rights. Even inmates have allowances, bank accounts. The point is, I think he has every intention of making this as hard on you as possible. He won’t let you go without a fight.”
“Won’t a judge just give me a divorce?”
“Not that simple. Not with all your shared assets.”
“Fuck.”
My head throbbed as I skipped down an open staircase to the first floor of the building, aiming for the closest doors to outside while avoiding small gatherings of students. I needed fresh air.
“What does he hope to accomplish?”
“Honestly?”
“Yes, Levi. Honestly.” Realizing I’d raised my voice again, I sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right.”
It wasn’t. Levi didn’t deserve me being a jerk when all he’d done was try to help. “What does he hope to accomplish?” I asked again in a gentler tone.
“This is just my opinion. It doesn’t mean I’m right or wrong. Morgan has lost all control of his life. People like him don’t like that. If he can manipulate and play games with you to keep you around, then that’s what he’s going to do. I don’t think he cares about any of the assets. The only thing he cares about is you. His trial kind of proved that.”
And that was it in a nutshell. My psychotic husband was a sick and twisted man who had been obsessed with me since day one. How gullible I’d been, thinking his behavior was cute at the time. All along, he’d been on a mission to contain me and keep me all to himself in the most sadistic way possible.
“Are you still with me?” Levi asked.
“What am I supposed to do? I don’t care about any of it. I just want a divorce. Get me away from him. Sever this thing through any means possible. I can’t live knowing we are still… connected like this. Give him everything.”
“Jason, I’m not doing that. You’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“I don’t care. Listen to me. I. Don’t. Care.”
“You’re angry. I get it. You’re hurting. I get that too. But I can’t let you make rash decisions like this. I’ll handle it. Let me handle it. I’ve already talked to his lawyer on the phone. We’re meeting on Friday to discuss things. You don’t have to be there. All I need is for you to give me permission to fight for what’s in your best interest.”
Dizziness and nausea hit me out of nowhere. I stopped midway through the parking lot and crouched, the pain lashing through my temples unbearable. It was the worst time for a migraine. “Fine. Just make it happen. I need to cut all ties as soon as possible.”
“I know.” Levi sighed into the phone. “Are you in your car?”
“Not yet. Almost.”
I didn’t tell him how I felt, but I got the sense Levi knew. He’d tuned in to me and my moods more and more over the past year, which was probably why he changed the subject.
“How was your first day?”
“Miserable, like my life.” When Levi didn’t respond, I tried a more honest answer. “It was okay. I can’t shed this funk. Almost went off on a kid in my first class because he was singing and dancing erotically to AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long”