Punished by Divorce

A Bit of Truth

Naomi

When Atticus had invited me over for dinner, I hadn’t expected to follow him out of the cottage and up a path that led to the main house. I had questions. Was I now living on his land? What had I gotten myself into? As I slowly and carefully walked alongside Atticus, I made a decision.

“Mrs. Crawling…she was your grandmother?” I asked. At first, the silence continued, and I thought he wouldn’t answer me, but then he sighed softly.

“Nana was the link in our family. My grandfather built that cottage for them years ago…my parents lived in the house with me and Alastair. When Gramps died, Nana…she didn’t take it very well and she slowly…you know, she started declining in everything. Her health. Her state of mind. The cottage. When my parents suddenly decided that they weren’t interested in living in Chasea anymore, they moved to Ruport. My brother and I officially took over Crawling Construction…” his voice trailed off for a moment as I tried to wrap my head around the information. “And when Nana died…I thought for sure they would return, but they never did. In fact, my dad kept telling us to sell everything and to move to Ruport,”

“Will you?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Not me, no. I’m not sure about Alastair, he is…he is a bit of a wild one,” he said, and I nodded thoughtfully. “When Cheryl said she sold the cottage, I hadn’t been expecting…you,”

“What does that mean?”

“A city girl. What are you doing here, anyway?” he asked, and for a moment I prepared myself to shut down and shut up, but the man had shared a bit of his story. I felt I owed him the same.

“Growing up…I had been groomed to be a certain way. To dress a certain way, to talk a certain way, and when I turned sixteen, my father…well, he told me that as soon as I turned twenty, he wanted me to marry his best friend and business partner’s son, Erik. I knew their family. The Carlson’s. I knew Erik…I mean, I had seen him often enough but Erik…he was quiet. Always off studying or going with his father to work. I much preferred the outdoors…”

“Did you marry him?” he asked.

“I didn’t think my father was serious, but when I turned eighteen…I made plans, you know? I applied to colleges and universities, but…every application was denied. I still believe that my parents played a role in that,”

“How?” Atticus questioned me as he came to a stop and looked at me. I sighed softly as I also stopped. I spotted a bench under a large tree, and I gestured toward it. We approached the bench in silence and when we sat down, I took a deep breath.

“Have you ever heard of Billora?” I asked him. His eyes went wide, and I could tell he was trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

“All of our software and computer equipment is Billora,” he said, and I nodded.

“My grandfather, Bill Scott, founded Billora with his childhood friend Bill Carlson,” I said as I looked off into the distance. This was a story I knew very well. “Together they built Billora and when my father and his best friend were old enough, they took over the company. My father is a very…convincing man. Very influential. No one ever said no to him. I applied to those colleges and universities secretly, but my father must have found out about them. You see, as I desperately tried to find a way out, I was still so dependent on my parents…so, when I turned nineteen, my father reminded me of my responsibility, and suddenly things were on a roll. I hadn’t even spoken to Erik. I didn’t know him, and suddenly I was going to become his wife. And when we did meet…he threw a wedding planner at me. He had already set a budget…and why not? He was already in the thick of it at Billora,”

“He didn’t…talk to you about it?” Atticus asked, and I shook my head.

“The next time I saw him was at Billora. In a conference room with two attorneys and our fathers. We signed…a contract I guess…and that was it. Everything was put together and…we got married,”

“Why did you agree? Why didn’t you kick against it?”

“Why would I? I was literally leaving my home. I was finally free of my parents,” I explained. “I didn’t do it because I felt like I had no choice. No, I saw it as an opportunity to live my own life,”

“Did that happen?”

“No, not even close. I expected Erik and I to go home…together…but he told me he had a business trip coming up and that he would be in contact. I can show you my phone…the number of times he called over the year. The number of texts we shared,” I shook my head as I thought about the past year. “I lived alone. He never ever set foot in the penthouse. We saw each other…once…maybe twice a month for dinner. He always did most of the talking, and it was always about work. He paid for everything…a cleaner would come in and clean the apartment. Someone would deliver food….even clothes sometimes. But Erik and I were never truly married…not as a husband and wife should be,”

“I’m…so…how are you here?”

“Erik asked for a divorce. I don’t know why, and I don’t care. I’m finally completely free. Free of my parents. Free of Erik and I had to get away from them…so I started hunting, and I came across the advert for the cottage,”

“Cheryl is lazy, she should’ve updated those photos,” Atticus remarked, but I shook my head. It didn’t even matter anymore. I would make it my own, one way or another. “So, a divorced city girl with parent issues and…and a cottage that is unlivable,”

“Yeah,” I agreed with a chuckle. I would figure things out, one way or another. I suddenly wasn’t worried or afraid. This was my beginning.