Touch Me (You & Me 2)
Katherine
Two Weeks Later
IT HAD BEEN QUIET SINCE the day at the bakery. Katherine was cautiously optimistic that her estranged husband had finally realized she had someone in her life willing to fight for her. She wasn’t so easy to attack and abuse now. At least, that’s what she hoped was happening. She’d taken it upon herself to start stalking him, reversing the tables a little.
She checked the court dockets daily, called his office to see if he was in using payphones to avoid her number being traced. It seemed like Tim had gone back to his life without missing a beat. She’d even gotten brave enough to call his cell phone on one occasion. When he answered, she used a fake accent and pretended to have dialed the wrong number. He was back in LA and that was the best news she had ever heard.
Tim hadn’t pressed the issue of having Ben charged for assault, which initially alarmed Katherine, but she assumed it would be more of an embarrassment. Tim prided himself on being a big tough guy and to have gotten his ass handed to him by a smaller man would be a bit of an ego blow. She and Ben both believed he had attacked him the second time with the sole intention of the police coming to save him just in time to catch Ben being the aggressor. His dropping the case was out of character, though Katherine had given up trying to make sense of his actions long ago. She wondered if it was because he didn’t know who Ben was. Or maybe because he did. Ben could match Tim in the power department, and outmatch him in wealth. That was really going to irk him when he found out—if he hadn’t already.
Katherine still had her condo but had been spending the majority of her time at Ben’s house. After everything they had gone through, she didn’t want to be apart from him. Ben wanted her by his side day and night, worried Tim would attack again. She too was still worried that Tim would show up when she least expected it. That was how it had always been. This time felt different. She felt like she had finally won a round, even if it had been Ben who’d done the actual fighting. It was a win for Team Katherine.
In the back of her mind, she tried to remind herself to stay vigilant, and not fall into that lull he was expecting. In the past, she’d get complacent and assume he had given up his hunt and he took advantage. For too long they had been playing a game of cat and mouse and she was tired of it. She was sick of being chased and for the first time, she felt like she had the power and the means to end it all.
Her musings about her life came to an abrupt halt when Ben came downstairs, finding her in the kitchen of his luxury home where she had just made coffee. She was lost in thought as she sipped the hot liquid.
“Good morning,” he greeted, coming around to kiss her on the cheek.
“Hi,” she replied, pushing the cup of coffee towards him.
“Big day,” he said.
She nodded. “You don’t have to go with me,” she told him.
He shook his head. “Yes, I do. I want to.”
“Thank you.”
They finished their coffee and headed to the garage. She got into the passenger seat of the Range Rover and tried her best to calm her nerves. She couldn’t make small talk. She was too nervous.
“Ready?” he asked, pulling into the parking garage.
“I am.”
Together they walked into the prestigious firm where Meredith Green worked as a partner. They were escorted into a small conference room and quickly joined Meredith and the attorney in the firm that specialized in divorces.
“Good morning,” Meredith greeted, breezing into the room.
“Hi,” Katherine replied.
The attorney handling the divorce pushed a file towards her. “Everything is as we discussed. Now, we anticipate him contesting the divorce and refusing to pay alimony. That’s all part of the process. You deserve alimony,” the attorney said.
Katherine looked at Ben. “That’s only going to make this worse,” she insisted.
“No matter what you do, it is going to get worse,” the attorney said bluntly.
Her mouth went dry as she processed the information. She wanted to back out and change her mind. This was truly poking the proverbial bear. She didn’t want to incite his fury, she only wanted to be free of him.
“If he contests, I’ll have to see him?” she asked.
The attorneys exchanged a look. “Most of the time yes, because it will have to go to mediation. We understand your reasons for wanting a clean break and we will honor your wishes, however, as your attorneys, we need to look out for your best interests. This man owes you. Don’t let him walk away without even a little scathing.”
Ben looked at her. “They’re right. You deserve something. You put up with him for a long time. He owes you so much more than that pittance you call alimony. However, if you truly want to walk away, I’ll support your decision. You’re the one who has to deal with him.”
She took a deep breath. “I’ll take your advice for now, but if he contests it, which we know he will, I’ll back out. I don’t want to ever see him again. All I want is my freedom. I don’t want to sit in a room with him or deal with a mediator. Nothing,” she said firmly.
The lawyers nodded their heads. “Okay, sign where all the green tabs are noted, and we’ll have him served.”
The very thought of Tim being served was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. She would love to see his face when he was served divorce papers. She picked up the pen and began to sign her name, over and over until she reached the last page and hesitated.