There must be a way to get her to remember.
To get her to realize she wants this in the sober light of morning.
I need more time.
Not just to convince her.
But to figure out if my instincts are right.
"Mr. Lux is on vacation. I can refer you to someone else. Either you'll petition for annulment—"
"What's that?"
"It's a way of erasing the marriage. Legally, it will never have happened. California doesn't like to grant annulments. You'll have to admit or prove force or lack of sound mind." She clears her throat. "I'm sure you know your limits, Mr. Young, but people do get drunk and get married in Vegas. If either one of you was drunk, you could argue that you weren't of sound mind. You'd have to admit it in open court."
I clear my throat. "No."
"The paperwork is simple. It's the negotiating that gets tricky. I can get Mr. Lux on it as soon as he returns. But if you want to take care of it right away—"
Shit.
That's it.
This buys me the time I need.
"When will he be back?" I ask.
"In about a week. I know that's a while when you're—"
"No. It's fine. I want him." That is true. Maybe it's stupid asking my entertainment lawyer to handle my divorce, but I trust the guy.
"Great. I'll send you a confirmation email for the morning after Mr. Lux returns. Ideally, your wife should attend, but we can do it via conference call or we can have her lawyer attend on her behalf."
"I'll let her know. Thanks."
"I'll email you the details." She lets out a soft sigh. "Good luck."
I hang up the phone.
I have a week to make sure this is what I want.
And to change her mind.
I can do that.
In the bedroom, Bella is staring at her cell phone. She looks up at me. "You got a tattoo of my name?"
I nod. "You don't remember?"
She shakes her head. "Did I…?"
"You were too scared."
"Oh." Her brow relaxes, but there's something in her eyes. Almost like she's disappointed.
Might as well show her the evidence. I pull my jeans and boxers over my hip. I took my bandage off last night, when I cleaned up post-sex.
My skin is still red, but there's no doubting the design—Bella in thick, black letters—is visible.