Page 21 of Matrimonial Merger

Chandler turned around, but missed our side of the court. Instead, he smiled at his parents.

“Where is the other woman?” Chloe asked.

“She’s on bed rest,” I whispered. “If you believe theMail. Overdue.”

“Shit,” Chloe whispered.

“Leave her alone,” I said. “She’s a victim, too. Just like me, he groomed her. And now, he saddled her with a baby.”

“And he’s about to lose everything,” Mum added. “Poor thing is in for a reality check.”

I hoped they were right. I hoped that Chandler rotted. I also felt genuine pain at the thought of a young woman being forced to raise a baby alone knowing that the man who impregnated her—the one who promised her everything—had done something so unforgivable. He’d lose everything. I hoped at least she’d get to live off our divorce settlement for a minute.

We sat through opening statements. I wanted to vomit—both from the pregnancy and the nerves. And the longer I sat, the more I had to pee. But, Icouldn’tpee. Because I was stuck here. There was then a discussion of evidence and the long-awaited tape—the one the jurors swore they’d never seen—played.

The jury was a surprise to me. Though common in the US for low-level offenses, they were rare in the UK for anything less than a very serious crime. It hammered home the importance of the case. I didn’t watch the video. I stared at the jury, taking in their appalled reactions to the video. I couldn’t tell if it was me—naked for all to see—or the way I looked strung out and coerced that bothered them. I dropped my eyes, feeling so sick, and fiddled in my purse for a piece of paper, finding an old receipt, and passed it up to the prosecutor.

I’m pregnant and I really need to wee. -DD

It was the best I could do and I couldn’t be too proud. More than that, I needed a minute for quiet.

At an opportune moment following the horrendous video the prosecution requested a short recess at which point, one of his direct reports led me to the bathroom along with my Mum who refused to leave me behind.

Inside a cordoned off bathroom, I relieved my bladder but also had a bit of a cry sesh.

“Darling, it will be okay,” Mum said. “But you will not let him own this. Did you see the faces of those jurors?”

I flushed the toilet and left the stall, proceeding the to sink. Speaking to her reflection on the mirror before me, I said, “Yes. And do you know what they thought of me?”

“That you didn’t deserve this,” Mum said. “That he forced you to do this and then leaked it to the press.”

“I know,” I said. “But…”

“There is no but,”

I turned off the taps and dried my hands on a paper towel.

“You’re going to be okay,” Mum promised. “You will answer their questions and hold your head high because you are my daughter. And they will nail his ass to the wall or they will have to deal with me.”

Her voice was strong and her face gentle as she pulled me close and squeezed me tight. “You are so strong, Daphne.Your have your father’s desire for righteousness and my stubbornness. You will be fine.”

“I want you to be right,” I sniffled.

“Itwillbe right. Okay. You will be fine. You are too good for him. You always were. You have a family behind you—a lot of angry women—and Cal. We will take care of him. We will end things for him. He won’t do this again, Daphne, becauseyouspoke up.”

I nodded, trying to be brave, and patted my stomach, centering myself. It was all I could do.

“You have built a good life, Daphne. A life on your own?—”

“Yeah, but what if this is the moment that…” Tears welled and my throat tightened. “What if this is the moment that everyone sides with him and decides I’m just some sort of whore who should have known better? And now, I get to raise this baby in a media firestorm when I am nothing more than tabloid fodder. And Cal will never be able to run for a second term and?—”

“We have too much more to do, Daphne,” Mum said. “You have done great things. And Cal will continue to do the same. And she… she will only know how brave her mother was, alright? She will believe only that her mother was great and strong.”

Her hand rested on my belly.

“Mum, I don’t even know?—”

“I just have a feeling. And in six pregnancies, I was never wrong about any of you,” Mum said.

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