The Husband She Abandoned

The Courthouse I

On the day they were due at the courthouse, Barry had decided to drive Diane himself so she could finally finish the divorce proceedings.

He masked it all as concern, but the truth was that Diana had been resisting him under the pretext that she was still a married woman and that being with him was immoral and would tarnish her image.

Which was honestly a surprise to him since she and her family had no qualms spending another man's money while still a married woman.

But Barry knew how to play the long game. He knew how to be patient. She might act coy, but sooner or later she would fall into his bed like many others before her.

So he gladly acted like a concerned gentleman and offered to take her to the courthouse; meanwhile, he had already booked a hotel suite ahead of time. His plan was to convince her to come along for a special celebration, and then he could make his move.

Everything was all planned out.

As they approached the courthouse building, they both noticed that there was a crowd.

Barry's eyes gleamed with calculation.

"I asked a publicist for a favour," He said, looking at Diana. "I think those might be fans excited to see you escape an abusive marriage."

With a wide panic stricken eyes, Diana looked at Barry then the crowd and shook her head rapidly.

"This will cause problems for Benjamin." She spoke rapidly, "He.. He never abused me."

Barry's brow wrinkled in annoyance, Diana's protests made him wonder if she was still in love with Benjamin, which could be a problem for his seduction plans.

"You married a man who could not further your career." Barry explained softly, "That could be termed an abuse of your talent, of you."

The skepticism on Diana's face made Barry clench his fist in frustration.

In Barry's opinion, Diana was nothing more than a B-rate singer who managed to catch a break. For some reason, she thought that he was responsible for orchestrating the chance to perform at the Grand Queen Hotel, and he was not going to tell her the truth.

In fact, the only reason he was her manager was that he had been given an order from the higher-ups after another one of his many fuck ups. He had been irritated and pissed that he was going to have to manage a newbie nobody instead of one of the more established acts.

The only consolation he got was the fact that she was pretty, he did not even care about her talent, which was honestly not bad.

When he walked around and opened her door, his mouth watered as Diane put a leg out and he was afforded with an expanse of milky smooth skin, shown to perfection in a suit that combined sexiness and business together.

His tie suddenly felt too tight around his neck. It had only been weeks since he met her, but it felt like he had been waiting forever.

He had thought that Diana would quickly give in to him, but she had been a hard nut to crack.

She always wanted to act demure like she was a little virgin so he assumed she wanted to wait until she got her divorce notarized. It had irritated him that he had to wait so long, but looking at her smooth skin, he felt like it was worth it.

He would make sure she quickly fell into his arms soon enough. His mouth watered at the thought of it.

Diana looked at Barry's effusive movements in amusement.

She knew that he wanted her, and the truth was that she was not willing to give in to him. She knew that she was on her way to superstardom. Barry could have his uses.

But she would not let him claim her as his woman. She had made that mistake once with Benjamin, she was not going to make the same mistake again.

At least Benjamin had been handsome, Diana thought, and looked at Barry's shiny, greasy head and shivered.

She could never give away her freedom to a man like Barry, who was sure to turn her into her mother. A trophy wife, and that was the worst thing that could happen to her.

As he led her towards the courthouse steps, it was to see that it was not just a gathering of paparazzi but also of beautiful women.

She did a double-take as she recognized some of them. They were daughters of the Larade elite, some she had gone to school with, and some she knew from high society blogs.

With a haughty shake of her hair, Diana raised her shoulders and started to walk sensually, expecting them to call out her name as she approached. However, they kept looking behind her as if expecting someone else.

Before she could wrap her head around the realization that she might not be the one they were camped out to see, someone shouted to her.

"Get out of the frame, will you? Let important people come through."

Feeling embarrassed, Diana hurried to the side, and then she heard a couple of the women speaking.

"I heard that the Quinn Heir is back in town, and he is getting a divorce today."

"I wonder what kind of idiot is divorcing him, maybe he is ugly or deformed."

"If you think he is deformed, why then are you here?" another of the women remarked snidely.

Diana's curiosity was piqued.

She knew about the Quinn family.

Everyone in Larade knew about the Quinn family. They were not just aware that the family had a heir.

The temptation to wait and get a glimpse of him was so strong, but she had more important things to do. Namely, reclaim her status as a single woman.

A smile graced her face. Even if she did not see the Quinn heir today, her new status as a star was sure to bring her close to him.

After all, wealthy and powerful men liked glamorous women as their lovers. By then, she would be single, free to be with any man of her choosing.

With that thought in her mind, she shrugged and dreamt of her bright future.

So, when she walked into the courthouse, it was with a little bounce in her step. Today was such a good day, and it felt like she was staring into the doorway that led to the life she had dreamed about.

She had already gotten several invitations to audition to join some girl groups; she had even been offered contracts by some top entertainment companies, and she could cherry-pick whatever she wanted.

It had been her dream to be a singer whose music was on everyone's lips, and now, finally, she would get a chance.

The only thing that could make today even better for her was signing for her freedom from her husband. It felt like the beginning of all the beautiful things that she had ever dreamed about in life, and she could taste it all on the tip of her tongue.

"Where do I go for the dissolution of my marriage?" Diana asked a receptionist who pointed her to a closed door.

When she opened the door, Diana noticed that Benjamin was not yet there, which was odd because he was usually very prompt.

'So his quick signing at home had just been a ploy.' She thought with a smile.

Even though she did not want to admit it, the way Benjamin had quickly signed the document she handed to him had hurt her pride.

Her immediate thought had been that he had found someone else. What else would explain how he had signed without even begging her to reconsider?

But now he was showing his true colours, refusing to come to the courthouse and thinking she would have pity on him and give him another chance.

Unfortunately for him, she had made her decision, there would be no going back.

She dialed his number and raised it to her ear when the door swung open, and Benjamin stepped in.

However, this Benjamin was nothing like her husband. Her eyes almost got ejected out of their sockets.