I was doing when I went to school. Soon, he made me leave school. He said I needed to be more involved in his life and business. I wanted to be a good wife, so I gave up school to make him happy. As a result, I lost touch with my friends. That was the beginning of his campaign to isolate me and keep me all to himself.
“His temper became volatile, so I thought it would be easier to give in. Soon, the jealousy turned to rage. We got home from a party late one night, his anger had been simmering for hours underneath the public persona he projects. He accused me of flirting with every man there, said I must be having an affair, and he slapped me. He said no wife of his would sleep around. I had stayed by his side the whole night, making his accusations completely irrational.” Lost in her memories, it took her a moment to break free of her past. “Anyway, that was the first time he hit me.
“Several more incidents happened. I ended up in the emergency room a few times. They never did anything. He’d make some lame excuse about his clumsy wife tripping in the garden and banging her head. No one would help me, or more accurately, go against him. He made several large donations to the hospital, and they looked the other way.
“He rarely left me alone. When I wasn’t with him, his people were watching. I had lost all my friends and feared telling my family. I feared what he would do to them if they spoke out against him. I feared being punished if I did, so I was alone in my misery.
“The last incident was the final straw. I knew I had to get out, or he’d kill me.” With a deep breath, she spit out the words, “He accused me again of cheating and threw me down a flight of stairs. I broke my arm in the fall, and he was forced to call an ambulance. He couldn’t stay with me during the X-rays. After they put the cast on, I snuck out of the hospital and took my chart with me. I ran and hid behind bushes and dumpsters, always looking over my shoulder, until I could find a way out of town.
“I hopped on a bus and found a cheap hotel several towns over. I stayed there for a few days until I recovered enough to visit the library and use their computer to find a lawyer. I found Ben. He helped me file for divorce.”
She looked at Jack. “Do you remember me telling you about the good work Ben does for battered women? He helped me, kept me hidden, set me up with a top-notch divorce attorney to keep his involvement a secret, and we went to court. The Merricks were furious because David never had me sign a prenuptial agreement. That left them wide open for me to take a large chunk of their empire.”
Summer leaned forward in her seat. “I remember now. They brought in a bunch of men who said you were having affairs with them. They also said you were a gold digger, who only married him for his money. The stories were sordid and terrible. They ripped you apart in the press.”
“Yes, they did. But in the end, I won. Remember I said I took my chart from the hospital. Ben and my other lawyer waited until the last minute to use the information. The hospital chart detailed my cracked ribs and the broken arm. David’s lawyer said I fell down the stairs on purpose, trying to get David’s attention. Things like that. It didn’t work though.”
She took a deep breath before she continued. “David didn’t know, but when he threw me down the stairs, I was pregnant. I lost the baby. He killed his own child. He couldn’t defend himself against that. Had I brought the charts into open court for the record, David would have been crucified in the press, which would have reflected on Merrick International. He and his family couldn’t afford to have that happen. So David was forced to settle with me. And I made him pay. I was awarded an astronomical settlement, including a sizable chunk of Merrick International.”
Summer was crying. Caleb rubbed his hand over his wife’s pregnant belly.
Jack sat stunned beside her. His eyes were sad as they connected with hers, but his hands were clenched into fists