Lovely (13 page)

Chapter 37

My honeymoon weekend, spent almost entirely naked at the apartment I now shared with my new husband, flew by far too quickly. When Monday arrived, I had to put my plan into action. Instead of selling the expensive ring that Brody had given me, I applied and was approved for a personal loan.

I scheduled several appointments with psychiatrists who would hopefully be able to vouch for my sanity. Several were willing to sign documents stating that in their limited evaluations I appeared well adjusted. Of course, I left out anything that might influence their opinion in the other direction. Other
s were not as cooperative and told me further visits would be required. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for that. The trial was approaching… and fast.

I arranged the papers I was taking
to court with me in separate stacks on the coffee table. One stack held paycheck stubs to prove my ability to hold down a job. Another had transcripts showing my grades. A 3.9 grade point average showed I had stability when it came to college. The papers the psychiatrists had signed were beside those. Their phone numbers were included on each page. A copy of my marriage certificate rounded out the bunch.

As I stared down at the papers that could make or break my case, I lifted my thumb to my mouth to chew on the nail. In frustration, I lowered it again. The fake nails prevented it. I was so lost in
thought that I didn’t even hear the phone ring. Gavyn came toward me with the receiver in his hand.

“Hmm?”
I looked up.

“It’s the lawyer.”

I’d been waiting days to hear from him. “Hello?”

The voice that spoke over the line sounded overly friendly. “Mrs.
Valmore. Sorry for my delayed response. My new secretary is learning the ropes. I reviewed the package you left here. I’m willing to take the case.”

“Thank you s
o much, Mr. Leonard. I know it is short notice, but this misunderstanding escalated quickly.”

“It says here y
our maiden name is Farrah Caine. You are the daughter of the governor. Is this correct?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Yes, sir. I’m sure my father is trying to keep this case quiet. He’s a private person.”

“Of course.
I’m sure that’s best for you, too. Alerting the media would not be in your interests.”

“Probably not.”

“And the attention could prove harmful to your new family. Congratulations on the nuptials.”

I nodded though he couldn’t see me. “Thank you.”

“Listen, let me do a little more digging and I’ll be in touch if I need any further information.” He verified the trial date which was in two days and asked for my email address and an alternate phone number. “Good, very good. Don’t worry. We’ll make sure you keep your independence. It’ll be hard to beat his money, but we’ll do it.”

After he hung up a few moments later, I bowed my head and had to fight back tears.
Gavyn was behind me, massaging my shoulders reassuringly. “I’ll be with you the entire time.”

“I’m
terrified of losing you and Mac. My parents’ lawyer is going to twist and dissect everything I’ve ever said or done….” I sighed again and leaned back against Gavyn.

“
I won’t let them take you away from me. I have rights as your husband.”

“I know.” I sounded more convinced than I
actually was to make him think I was alright. Inside, the stress was tearing me apart. The people out to get me had more power and money. That strangely familiar voice spoke into my ears and I clenched my eyes.

Run away.
They’re going to destroy everything.

“Did you hear me, Farrah?”

Shaking my head, I turned around to face Gavyn. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

He studied me carefully. My soul and heart always seemed bared when he looked at me. “I said that it’s time to get Malcolm from school. We should do
something special as a family before we have to take our trip.”

“I’d like that. Let me freshen up.” I kissed his cheek. As I walked away, I could feel his
gaze on my back.

In the bathroom, I turned on the sink
faucet and walked to the corner, sliding to the floor along the wall and curling up against the bathtub. I had sworn I wouldn’t cry anymore until I knew what was going to happen.

I lied.

Chapter 38

Two days later I walked into the courtroom. Soon, a judge would determine my near future. My mother touched my father’s shoulder. He stood and
turned around. Mr. York studied the paperwork in front of him on the table.

Looking away from them, I made my way to the front and slid into
a chair on the defendant’s side. Gavyn sat down behind me on one of the bench seats so he would be close enough that I could talk to him. I touched my hair, making sure the severe bun was still in place. I’d dressed in a navy blue pencil skirt and white long sleeved blouse. I looked like I could have been the lawyer.

“Should
n’t our lawyer be here by now?” Gavyn asked.

I frowned and he patted my han
d to reassure me. “He should be,” I said.

Mr.
York tossed a manila folder onto the table I was sitting at and without a word returned to his seat. I opened the folder with trepidation. There were photos. At first, they seemed normal. One shot showed me walking to school. In another, I was eating at the park with Gavyn and Mac. I scowled. I knew that someone had been watching me that day. I had wondered if I’d been paranoid about that.

Then, I got to the more damning pictures. There was a photo of
Gavyn and me outside the dentist’s office where I’d had my tooth pulled. The man who’d offered to buy my prescription stood near me. A yellow sticky note read, “Farrah consorting with a known drug felon.”

I gasped out loud and flipped to the next picture in the folder.
It was a full color shot of the interior of my apartment. The note on it said, “Psychotic painting.”

“What is it, Farrah?”
Gavyn asked. When I didn’t answer because I was too shocked, he stood up and looked over my shoulder. “It’s illegal to stalk someone like that.”

The next shot showed
Gavyn and me in the pool on our wedding night. From the angle, I knew where the man had been hiding. He’d been in the tree house in the neighbor’s yard that had gone on vacation. The note read, “Illicit sexual encounter.”

Gavyn
started toward the lawyer and my parents. I grabbed his arm before he could and he paused. “Let me go, Farrah.”

“This is what they want. We can’t cause a scene. None of this is admissible as evidence.
Right?”

“I don’t think so.” He backed up, still glaring at
Mr. York and my parents as he sat down. “If our lawyer was here, we could ask him. It’s time to start.”

The judge ente
red the room a few minutes later. We all rose and sat back down when instructed. He looked over a few documents before speaking to me.

“Ms. Farrah Caine, is this correct?”

“No, sir. I’ve recently wed so I am now Farrah Valmore.”

“I see.
And where is your lawyer? Are you defending yourself?”

My voice came out shaky. “I spoke to my lawyer about an hour ago and he told me he was on his way. I apologize. I have no idea where he could be.”

The judge gave a cursory glance at my father before looking back to me. “Five minutes. I don’t appreciate my time being wasted.”

“Of course, sir.”

Exactly
two minutes and seventeen seconds later, the courtroom doors opened. I had been counting every tick of the clock. I turned in my seat, expecting to see the lawyer I had hired, but instead I saw Brody and a group of people, including media types, enter the room.

He walked up and placed his briefcase in front of him on the table
beside me. His father, my parent’s lawyer, appeared as surprised as I was.

“My apologies, Your Honor.
The media and general public were unaware of this trial involving our most esteemed governor. It’s surprising since these types of court proceedings are open to the voting public.”

I saw my father cover his face with his hand. Brody winked at me.

The judge spoke through clenched teeth. “So you are representing this young lady?”

“
Yes, Your Honor. Some information has been brought to my attention that may benefit both parties and settle this disagreement. May I approach the bench?”

“Approach.”
He gestured for Brody’s father to join them.

I glanced at my parents who were whispering quietly and then
turned to Gavyn. He gave me a questioning look and I shrugged. Several minutes passed before the attorneys returned to their seats. Mr. York spoke quietly with my father at the opposing table.

“Well?” I asked Brody.

“Just follow my lead and agree with the option I set forth.” He smiled and his pale eyes sparkled with a familiar glint. “Trust me.”

I looked
at Gavyn again. His jaw was tight with tension. The judge began speaking so I faced forward.

“If this can be settled without a trial, I’m all for it. There’s no reason to was
te the good and loyal taxpayers’ hard earned dollar. Both parties join me in my chambers please.”

I stood slowly, fearful of what was about to take place.
Gavyn entwined his fingers with mine and I found the reassurance I needed when his eyes met mine.

“I’m here,” he said,
“no matter what happens.”

Brody had already begun walking ahead of us, but I saw him pause
when Gavyn spoke, almost as if he’d winced in pain. He continued onward without a word.

The judge’s chambers were decorated in a similar
style to what I had seen on television. A large desk filled one corner of the room. Tall book shelves lined the walls. The center of the room held a round table with six chairs. The judge seated himself at the head of the table. Mr. York chose the chair opposite him. My parents stared in my direction as they sat down on the side furthest from us. Gavyn still held my hand firmly, but I didn’t move until he gave it a squeeze and guided me forward. He pulled out the chair for me before taking his seat beside me. With nowhere to sit, Brody simply stood at my side with his briefcase in front of him once again.

“So, I’ll let the younger
York explain his proposition to settle this matter. The floor is yours.”

“Thank you again, Your Honor.” Brody bowed his head slightly. “I have been part of both these families for my entire life and I know that, though they lack tact, there is plenty of love.”

I had to force myself to keep a neutral expression on my face, but somehow I managed it. All the while I focused on my hands folded in my lap.

“As governor,” he gesture to my father, “I realize you’d like to keep the media out of this, especially when elections are around the corner. What I propose is this…
,” He paused for dramatic effect.

“Go on,” the judge urged.

“The concerns of Farrah’s parents come from their own hardships and personal experience with mental illness. I propose that Farrah agrees to check into a health facility for monitoring and diagnosis for a period of one month after this meeting. During this time she will not be allowed visitation so she can focus on her health. This includes her parents and her
husband
.” Despite his professionalism, Brody had trouble saying the last word.

“Is that all?” The judge asked.

“No, Your Honor. Afterwards, she will continue to visit a psychiatrist once a month to make sure she’s not exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia or other problems.”

Gavyn
and I both spoke aloud in shock, “Schizophrenia?”

“Is this true?” For the first time I acknowledged my parents’ presence.

Mother covered her mouth with her hand. My father hugged her sideways with one arm before speaking.

“It is. We’ve tried to shelter you from it. Your brother was older when the illness began to show itself.
The illness is one of the reasons he watched over you like a hawk. I thought if you moved home and were with us, we could keep an eye on you. That we wouldn’t have to expose you to the truth. Brody could have taken care of you.”

“That’s not going to happen,” I said.

“When you were a child, your mother ran away without a warning of any sort with you and your brother in tow. It took me two weeks to track all of you down. After that, we made sure she got the help she needed, though it’s still not always easy.”

“What does this have to do with me? I’m fine.”

My mother finally removed her hand from her mouth and cleared her throat. “Do you remember the nanny you had as a child?”

I stared at the dark cherry colored wood of the table before me, trying to remember, but shook my head slowly. “No.”

“Robyn, that was her name, she was a wonderful, elderly lady that cared for you.”

Father broke in. “I’m not sure we should be bringing this up.”

My mother held up a hand. “She needs to know she’s susceptible.” Her tearful eyes stayed locked on mine. “She passed away from old age in her sleep one night. We told you she went to Heaven. A few days later we caught you speaking, not to yourself, but to
her
.”

“Sounds like a coping mechanism for a kid,”
Gavyn said. I nodded in agreement.

“So we thought as well. Somehow you unlocked the
door leading to the highest balcony and walked outside. A gardener saw you wedging yourself between the rails. Your father and I tried to talk you into coming inside, but you kept saying the nanny wanted you to jump because you could fly like an angel.” Her voice faltered with sobs and my father took over again.

“Your brother finally convinced you to come inside. He was the one person you always trusted.”

“I did trust him and I miss him terribly.” Beside me, Brody breathed heavily and I knew he was fighting with his emotions. “I had a weird episode as child, that doesn’t mean I’m crazy.”

“It’s dangerous to ignore the signs. You ran away, shut yourself off from your family, and even missed your beloved brother’s funeral. Then there’s the weird paintings and the sudden marriage.”

“Please, just let me live my life.”

Father turned his attention to
Gavyn. “The marriage can be annulled easily. I know none of this is your fault. Your background was checked and you seem like a good guy. Do you really want another woman who’s likely to have suicidal thoughts after what happened with your son’s mother?”

Gavyn
rubbed his hand over his mouth and chin as he processed the new information. It wasn’t exactly the support I’d been promised or expected. He shook his head, “I’ll never leave my wife. I love her.” His eyes held a strange sadness when he squeezed my hand and smiled softly at me. “But… there’s nothing wrong with seeing a doctor to make sure you’re okay. We have a responsibility to keep Mac safe, right?”

Tears filled my eyes. I blinked to hold them back, but this only caused them to be pushed out over my cheeks. “I would never hurt him.”

“If you stay at this place they’re talking about and see a doctor monthly, all this court stuff goes away. It’s not that bad of a deal.” He stroked my hand with his thumb to reassure me.

“We can’t afford that.”

My father scoffed, “I will take care of it. I know you hate me right now, but you are my daughter and the only child I have left. We need to fix this… rift. Brody is right and this is the best way.”

“I want it in writing. You’ll never try
this guardian or conservator shit again. You will let me live my life with my new husband and son.”

“Agreed.
I would also ask that you pose for a few smiling photos with your mother and me. You know… the election and all.”

He’d almost had me convinced that this was all for my health. His words killed that idea
. Everything was always about saving face and publicity. He was afraid I’d do something stupid and embarrass him if I didn’t get treatment. “Sure,” I said and tried not to glare.

Brody reached across the table and shook my father’s hand. He
took my mother’s when she offered it, held it softly, and patted the top sympathetically before turning his attention to me. “The Winford Pleasant House is an hour north of here. I’ll take you myself.”

“That’s not happening,”
Gavyn rose to his feet.

“
Gavyn, it’s a long drive away from our home. You’re going to need to get back to Malcolm and work.”

“You can’t be serious,” He lowered his voice. “You were engaged to this…
American Eagle poster boy.”

“I’m
married
to you. I’ll never have the nerve to walk into that hospital if you’re standing there. My heart will break,” I whispered. Though we were quiet, I’m sure everyone could hear us.

“
Alright.” He looked upward and sighed in defeat. “I can believe I’m agreeing to this.”

The paperwork was drawn up and placed in front of me a short time later. I read through the documents three times before signing.

“Is there somewhere I can talk to my wife in private before she leaves?” Gavyn asked the judge.

The judge turned to his bailiff
standing at the door. Other guards had remained in the courtroom. “Give them a few minutes in one of the empty offices.”