Page 8 of Just Desserts

A tall redheaded woman stood there in a short dress and tight fur coat carrying a gaudy gift bag. I put a charming smile on my face and swung the door open, eyeing the full view withappreciation. The woman gave a giggle before speaking.

"I'm so sorry to bother you, I just have to make a delivery and I think I'm lost. Do you know where I can find Mr. Jonathan Conner?" Her big eyes looked up at me as she bit her bottom lip.

"I'm Jonathan Conner - How can I be of service?" I offered, taking a step closer to the attractive woman. She perked up once I confirmed my name and reached into the gift bag at her side.

"Great! Jonathan Conner, you've officially been served!" She replied brightly, passing a large legal packet to me. Before I could form a reply she had already turned on her heel and was stomping away. She gave me a little finger wave as she hopped in her car and drove off.I felt frozen in place. Served? For what? I tore open the top of the envelope and my world stopped.

"Happy Holidays! I want a divorce."

I kept reading the note written in my wifes familiar handwriting, my mind refusing to comprehend what was in front of me. I tossed the large envelope onto the table and watched with a sense of horror as pictures of Alyssa and I slid out. I angrily swiped everything off the kitchen table, then ran into the bedroom.

I went into our closet and belatedly noticed how much of Isla's clothing was already missing, along with her laptop and luggage. Grabbing my phone I dialed her number only for it to go straight to voicemail.

"Isla, I don't know what you think happened but it's not true. We are not getting a divorce, call me back right away. We have to talk". I hung up angrily and raked my hand through my hair. Grabbing the nearest bottle of alcohol, I pulled my phone back out and called Alyssa.

"Get your ass over here now you fucking slut, if I find out you had anything to do with this I'm going to RUIN you." I seethed. I heard her intake of breath before she stuttered out "I don't know what you're talking about? What's going on?"

"GET OVER HERE NOW. Do not make me ask again." I hung up the phone and nearly shattered it as I tossed it against the wall. Taking another gulp from the bottle I started tearing apart the house. Where did she get that picture? How long had she known? She thinks she can leave ME?

Chapter 8

Alyssa

The silence echoed in my car after Jonathan disconnected the call. Almost as soon as it ended my phone started ringing again. Looking down I saw it was my mom so I sent it to voicemail. Shortly after, it started ringing again, this time it was my brother Wes.

The closer I got to Jonathan and Isla's house the more calls I received. It felt like I was at the top of a rollercoaster but the falling sensation wouldn't stop. I parked my car and finally looked at my phone. No one left a voicemail or text except for my dad. His voicemail was short and emotionless.

“Come to the house as soon as you get this. We'll wait all night if we have to. And Alyssa Marie, if we have to come to you this is going to get a lot worse.”

I wanted to call back, find out what was going on but Jonathan must have seen my car pull in and was standing in his open door. I grabbed my phone and with a false sense of confidence breezed past him into the kitchen.

Taking my jacket off I swung around to look at him. He looked terrible. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair untidy like he had raked his fingers through it repeatedly. His face was red and mottled, the vein in his temple ticking.

"Jonathan what the fuck is going on with you?" I asked haughtily as I continued to take in the devastation around me.The house looked like it had been ransacked, nothing like the pristine palace I had left the other day. I didn't realize Jonathan had approached me until I felt his harsh grip on my arm. He yanked me so that we were face to face. He was seething, his chest rising and falling with his jagged breaths.

"What's going on with me? How about MY WIFE served me with DIVORCE PAPERS this morning with pictures of YOU as the reason." His hot breath reeked of alcohol and did little to blunt the manic edge to his movements.

With a gasp, I stumbled back. Divorce? Isla was divorcing Jonathan? My parents! All of the calls made sense now and the feeling in my stomach finally dropped. I turned around, giving Jonathan my back needing a moment to assemble my rioting thoughts. I braced my hands on the kitchen table and hung my head, then out of the corner of my eye I saw the pictures.

There, in perfect color, were photos of me and Jonathan from the other night. She must have come in and seen? I started swiping through all the papers, trying to figure out how much she knew. I felt like I was in a race and everyone else had a head start. I was so involved in what I was looking at I didn't realize Jonathan had started speaking.

"You will go to Isla right away and tell her you sent this and that it's not real. That you tried to frame me, that it was all a set up. I don't care WHAT you say or how bad it makes you look you will FIX THIS." He was screaming in my face now, his jaw clenched and his hands holding me in a bruising grip.

Jonathan was completely losing it. This composed, older, man who I idolized, my dream partner, was in complete shambles because of fucking Isla. It was disgusting and pathetic. It felt like I had stepped out of my body for a moment, walking around surveying the scene as some sort of separate, unfeeling entity. The damage was done, all the fallout that would haveheld me back from revealing my relationship with Jonathan had already occurred.

Isla had made the decision for us. Jonathan was clearly regretting it now, and to be fair this side of him was unattractive enough that I too had a moment of regret. Not because I hurt anyone, but because I expected more from him. I guess this makes what happens next easier. Snapping back into reality, Jonathan was staring at me with a mix of fury and desperation.

"Why would I tell her it's fake?" I asked him as I walked away and headed to the bar in the kitchen. Helping myself to the wine in the fridge I poured myself a large glass. Taking a sip I took a few minutes to calm my thoughts.

"You knew the deal when we started this. I was never going to leave Isla for you. I will make sure you're fired and can never get a job working in law again. I will make sure your whole family hates you. Do not ever forget where you stand in comparison to Isla." I scoffed and gave Jonathan a cool smile.

"You're going to getmefired? Hm. I wonder how that will work since technically you're my boss who is over ten years older than me and took advantage of that. You had me work closely with you, making sure I knew the power dynamic. I'm sure the other partners would love to hear the true details. Which I have, in case you're wondering." I walked around calmly, unbuttoning my blouse sleeves to roll them up.

"Remember our weekend together darling? How rough and wild it got?” I twisted my forearms at him so he could see the bruising and red marks just on my wrists. His face looked confused as his eyes hopped from my face to my outstretched arms.

"They look much better now but I have to say when I got inthe other night, oh my I was a mess! I took some pictures, you know, to commemorate our weekend together. But, if they were to fall into the wrong hands, it could be misconstrued." I let that statement hang in the air. Jonathan started blustering and came at me right as my phone started ringing.

"That's my parents. Isla's already told them everything. If I don't head over there now, this is the first place they'll come to next. So, now's your chance. I think it's time we tell everyone the truth." I was proud of myself, the calm tone I was somehow maintaining. There was something in seeing Jonathan so torn apart, that made it even easier for me to rise to the occasion.

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