Beyond the Breaking Point (16 page)

Phillip stretched out on the uncomfortably short couch, plotting his next move. As long as Cassidy loved him, their marriage had a chance. A chance was all he needed.

Chapter Nine

One month later
…

Cassidy pounced on the phone as soon as it rang. “Erika! Thank God!”

“What’s wrong? Your message made it sound urgent,” Erika said.

“It’s Phillip! The man is making me crazy! Every evening he’s found a reason to show up on my doorstep,” Cassidy griped as she paced. “When he’s not haunting my apartment, he’s showering me with flowers. My office looks like a florist’s. I’ve taken to giving them to patients and staff. It’s got to be costing him a fortune.”

“Sounds like he’s serious about wanting you back.” Erika’s calm voice held a hint of amusement.

Cassidy barely managed not to shriek as she said, “I don’t care what he wants! It’s what I want that matters.”

“So stop being nice and start playing hardball.”

Cassidy ranted on like she hadn’t heard her. “I’ve rejected all his dinner invitations. And the movie invitations, the museum, the opera—”

“Opera?”

“It doesn’t matter what I say. He simply shows up at my door with my favorite foods or with DVDs of movies I wanted to see when they came out but didn’t have time. And of course he has to watch them with me while we eat. I told him to stop sending me flowers and you know what he did? He switched to plants. Plants!” she continued before Erika could say anything. “I consider myself fortunate if I can push him out the door at the end of the evening. I can’t tell you how many times the man has slept on my couch. He has a knack for catching me when I’m tired and don’t have the energy to put up much of a fight.”

Which lately was more often than not, given they were in the middle of the yearly baby boom. Seemed like not a day went by that she wasn’t delivering a baby or assisting in the delivery of one—all those winter pregnancies bearing fruit. The whole staff was being run ragged.

“Honey, stop opening the door. He’ll eventually get the message,” Erika said.

Outraged, Cassidy said, “Don’t you think I tried that? He simply stands in the hallway and knocks, making a racket until I have to let him in to keep peace with the neighbors. That’s after tricking one of the other tenants to let him in the building. I’ve never seen the man this determined, this hard-headed. Now he’s pushing for a key, for emergencies.

“Maybe it’s time to show him you mean business. Have you filed for divorce yet?”

“No, there hasn’t been time,” she admitted as she plopped into one of the chairs at the small table in the doctor’s lounge. “I googled Pennsylvania divorce laws. Phillip wasn’t lying. If he fights me on it, it will take two years for the divorce to become final.”

“And if you never file, you’ll be married to him for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?”

Cassidy bit her bottom lip. “You know it’s not. I thought if I showed him I was determined enough, he’d eventually agree with me that a divorce is what’s best for us.”

“Uh-huh. How’s that strategy working for you?”

Cassidy threw down the pen she’d been playing with. “It’s not and you know it.”

Erika chuckled. “Yes, I know but I wasn’t sure you did. Have you even told your family you two have separated?”

She sighed, long and hard before admitting, “No, I haven’t. I didn’t want the drama. They love Phillip.”

“They love you too. When it comes right down to it, I’m sure they’ll support you.”

Cassidy could only hope that would be the case. Her family didn’t believe in divorce. In their world, you did whatever it took to hang in there and make your marriage work. Just thinking about telling her mother caused her to groan. “What am I going to do?”

“I don’t know what to tell you. Phillip seems really determined to get you to forgive him and take him back. Honestly, if it were me, I’d probably have caved by now,” Erika said sympathetically. “You’re a strong woman, Cassidy Brannon.”

“No, I’m a desperate one. Look, I gotta go. I have a two o’clock appointment and haven’t picked up lunch or reviewed the file. We’ll have to get together soon for a girls’ night out.”

“Let me know when and I’m there,” Erika agreed. “Remember you can call me anytime to vent.”

“I know. Thanks.”

She hadn’t admitted it to Erika, but Phillip was getting to her. He knew her likes and dislikes, and all her weaknesses and was using that knowledge to play them to the hilt. If she thought this was simply a game with him, she’d be furious, but he was completely sincere in his desire to fix their marriage. Now that she wasn’t so furious, so hurt, she could almost…
almost
…see his side of things. Worse, he knew she was beginning to soften toward him. Just last night he’d started pushing again for them to see their counselor and work out their issues.

She couldn’t let things get that far because if she forgave him, how long would it be until this happened again? One year? Two? What if she got pregnant, would she be compelled to stick it out for her child’s sake?

If the idea of calling it quits was difficult for her now, how much harder would it be later when she’d invested ten, fifteen or even twenty years in this relationship? The alternative was ignoring the problem and hoping for the best, but did she really want to be that woman? The one who knows her husband has a problem with being faithful but turns a blind eye to his faults because doing something about the situation is too much effort?

No, she could not, would not become that woman. She wouldn’t be able to look at herself in the mirror every morning. It was time for her to push past all her reservations and hesitations and do what needed to be done. Cassidy scrolled through her phonebook and made the call she’d been foolishly avoiding.

Two weeks later…

“Thank you for seeing me,” Cassidy said as Erika’s cousin escorted her into her office, somewhat relieved to be here. She’d had to reschedule twice because of work and had almost canceled this evening as well. Being mentally and physically tired beyond belief, an uninterrupted night at home had sounded like the perfect remedy. One she’d looked forward to with great anticipation until Phillip’s call at lunch today stating his mother had invited them to dinner galvanized her to keep tonight’s appointment, come hell or high water.

“Not a problem. Like doctors, lawyers don’t have set office hours. Please, have a seat.” She motioned to the small seating area in her office. Designed, Cassidy was sure, to make nervous clients like herself feel more comfortable.

She sat, knees together, purse and portfolio clutched to her chest. “Ms. Xiao—”

“Please, call me Chris and by the way, nice pronunciation on the name. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve been called as people try to sound it out,” Chris added, smiling.

The utter banality of the comment allowed Cassidy to relax. “I didn’t mention it earlier, but your cousin, Erika, and I became really good friends in medical school. In fact, she’s the one who referred me to you.”

She grinned, showing sparkling white teeth. “I’ll have to give my cousin a call and thank her. Now, how can I help you?”

Cassidy’s smile faded and she felt herself tensing again. “I want to file for divorce,” she said, her voice trembling on the words.

“I see.” Chris reclined in her chair and crossed her slim ankles to one side. “Are you certain divorce is the action you want to take? You sound somewhat hesitant.”

She rubbed her face and silently ordered herself to pull it together. “I’m sorry. This isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.”

“Divorce never is.” Chris studied her for a moment, and then seemed to come to some inner decision. “Before we get into a discussion of rates and so forth, why don’t you tell me why you want to end your marriage? And please, be assured, anything you say here is completely confidential, even if you change your mind. Lawyer-client confidentiality.”

Even though Cassidy knew this, it still helped to hear Chris confirm it. She paused to gather her words. “I guess it would help to start at the beginning. Two years ago, I discovered my husband had cheated on me. Through some very intensive counseling, we were able to save the marriage and rebuild what I thought was a stronger relationship. I won’t go into all the details of what happened then…unless you need me to?”

“No, not at the present.”

Cassidy nodded before continuing. “I considered divorce then but Phillip—that’s my husband’s name—managed to convince me that it was a one-time incident and after hashing things out with him, I realized that I wasn’t completely free of blame myself in the breakdown of our relationship.”

“I see.”

“Fast forward two years later. Six…no, almost seven weeks ago, Phillip and I went on vacation to Orlando with his best friend, Max, and Max’s live-in girlfriend, Amber. Max and I left to go shopping. Well, I wanted to visit the flea markets and Max wanted help picking out an engagement ring for Amber.” She continued describing the scene she’d walked in on and what was said. “Max and I packed up and left a few minutes later. We checked into a nearby hotel and caught a flight home the next day. I moved out of our house and got an apartment.”

“Have you and your husband had any contact since the incident? Is he agreeable to the divorce?” She peered at Cassidy through the small frames of her square glasses.

“We’ve talked and no, he doesn’t want a divorce. He wants us to continue marriage counseling,” Cassidy said, wondering how much she should tell Chris about the whole situation between her and Phillip.

“So you want to file on grounds of adultery?”

Cassidy bit her lower lip, aware that divorce documents were matters of public record. Did she really want the whole world knowing sexually she hadn’t been enough for her husband? “Not really, but Phillip’s adamant so it might be my only recourse. When I researched grounds for divorce, one of the sites said adultery must be proven in court. What exactly constitutes proof?”

“Fault is hard to prove.” Chris explained the difference between direct and indirect proof. “Oral sex is not considered sexual intercourse in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. There has to be penetration of the female sex organ by the male’s penis.”

“So his protestations that he didn’t have sex with Amber are accurate?” Cassidy asked, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

“I know it’s hard to swallow, but from a legal standpoint, he’s absolutely correct. I’m sorry. I know it’s not what you want to hear and it doesn’t lessen the hurt and betrayal you feel but it’s the truth,” she said, her entire demeanor exuding sympathy.

“So my only choice is the no-fault divorce and if Phillip refuses to sign his agreement, wait the two years for a judge to sign off on it?”

“It’s a bit more complex than that, but you have the essence.” Then Chris walked her though the divorce process—the filings, the determinations, etc.

Cassidy sighed. It’s not like she hadn’t been warned. Speaking of warnings, she issued one of her own. “You should know my husband’s a lawyer. His specialty isn’t family law, but…”

“Don’t worry. I can handle him. That is, if you still want to proceed?”

“Yes. The sooner we start, the sooner this can all be over.”

“Let’s get started.” Chris explained how her firm operated and what her fee schedule was. Inwardly, Cassidy winced when she realized how much this was going to cost her. She made a pretty good salary, but there were still student loans to be paid and she no longer had Phillip’s income to supplement her own.

Once Cassidy signed the necessary paperwork authorizing Chris to represent her and paid her first installment, Chris began the tedious but laborious process of gathering all the information she’d need to dissolve eight years of marriage. “Now, a few questions. Did you and your husband have a pre-nup?”

Cassidy wrinkled her nose. “No. We were both college students when we married and neither of us had any assets.”
And neither one of us went into this thinking, “What if the marriage doesn’t work?” like so many couples do
.

“Are there any children from the marriage?”

“No.”

Chris made a note on the pad she’d pulled from a nearby drawer. “And you’re not pregnant now?”

Cassidy shook her head. “We were trying to get pregnant but…” She trailed off as a few dots connected in her head. Mood swings, lack of appetite, her extreme exhaustion over and above her normal tiredness this time of year…

“Good,” Chris was saying. “That will make things so much easier. Now we’re going to fill out the financial affidavit. Both you and your husband are required to submit one. Please be completely honest and don’t withhold anything, no matter how minor. Judges really hate when we fail to make full disclosure.”

“I made a copy of everything I thought you’d need and brought it with me so I wouldn’t forget or leave off anything,” she said, mind still spinning with the realization she’d just had. Cassidy handed Chris the portfolio. “You can keep whatever you need. As I said, these are copies.”

As she looked over the paperwork, she noted their combined assets one by one, gave Cassidy her legal options, and together they determined how they were to be divided. As Chris went down the line, item by item, it hurt Cassidy to hear her marriage reduced to numbers on a spreadsheet. But this, she reminded herself, was what divorce was. She and Phillip were no longer a unit, combining resources and building a life together.

Her mind only half on what they were discussing, Cassidy thought this initial meeting would never end when at last, Chris said, “I’ll have these documents filed with the courthouse and start the process to have your husband served. Do you have any further questions?”

Cassidy bit her lip, hesitating to mention the possibility but knowing it was necessary. “What if I discover I’m pregnant?”

Chris’s gaze sharpened. “Is it a possibility?”

“I’d need to take a pregnancy test to be absolutely sure, but now that I think about it, over the last month there have been some things I’ve blamed on stress but—”