Page 63 of The Deadbeat DILF
“Feel free to reach out if you ever need anything,” she said.
After hanging up, I looked at all the notes I’d jotted down, and slowly, created a game plan.
I sped home after work, needing to talk to Robert about what I had discovered.
“Robert!” I called out as I stepped into the apartment, my heartbeat quickening when I heard noise coming from the kitchen.
He turned to me with a smile. “Hey, how was your day?” His expression changed when he saw the look on my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Can we talk?” I asked, nodding towards the couch.
He looked concerned, but followed me, sitting down beside me.
“Can you tell me about your divorce?” I asked. “Did you have a lawyer?”
He shook his head. “No,” he answered slowly. “I didn’t think I needed one. Emily wanted the divorce, and she’s the one who gave me the paperwork and everything.”
“Did you negotiate the agreement?”
He shook his head. “I felt so guilty, I let Emily have everything she wanted. The house, half of my share of the company. She even took small things like the TV and our home decor.” He smiled, as though it was funny.
“Did you read the paperwork carefully?” I demanded.
He looked at me, eyes slightly wide, as if he were alarmed by my tone. “Yes. I mean, I did read it, though the legal jargon was a bit confusing. Emily had a lawyer, though. A man. I can’t remember his name, but he assured me that our divorce was standard.” He touched my arm. “What’s wrong, Brooke?”
I sucked in a deep breath. How would I explain this to him?
“Last night, you mentioned that you pay half of your earnings to Emily. That bothered me. It didn’t sound right, not when you were struggling to get by, while she took your home. Not to mention she has the company with Noel, and Noel to support her. That’s why I asked for the agreement this morning. I read over it at work, and I reviewed it with a friend of mine from law school. She specializes in family law.” I exhaled, my shoulders slumping. “They screwed you over, Robert. They took advantage of you.”
He blinked. “No,” he said. “No, the lawyer told me that his way was just the way things are done.”
“It’s not,” I replied. “Emily’s been sucking money out of you for the past, what, ten years? It’s practically exploitation.” I took Robert’s hand, squeezing it tight. “I want to talk to your ex-wife. I want to confront her.”
His eyes went wide. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?” I asked.
He squeezed his eyes shut. “I haven’t seen her in years. I don’t want to see her. I appreciate you looking into this for me, Brooke, but the last thing I want to do is stir up trouble.”
“I understand that,” I said, “and I wouldn’t ask unless I thought it was absolutely necessary. But it makes me angry to see that someone has wronged you. Put yourself in my position. Imagine if I had an ex-husband who was unfairly taking away half of my hard-earned income. You’d be upset, wouldn’t you?”
He nodded. I could tell that Robert was slowly coming around.
“Don’t you want a fresh start?” I asked. “You can begin a new life, without any ties to your ex-wife. Yes, she will always be the mother of your son. But imagine what you could do with the money. You could give it to Mike, or you could save it, so you never risk being homeless again. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do with the money, but it should be your decision.It’s rightfully yours.” I squeezed his hand again. “You helped me stand up to my family. I want to help you stand up to yours.”
He looked at me for a long time. “You really think this is the right thing to do?”
“Yes,” I said emphatically. “Even if you were a stranger, and I found out you were in this sort of situation, I’d feel the same way. It makes me angry to see someone give away so much money to someone who isn’t entitled to it.”
Now that I thought about it, it reminded me of my own family, asking me for money just to spend it the next day. Except, at least with me, I could choose whether to give money to them or not. Robert had signed an agreement. He’d have to give money to Emily for the rest of his life, whether he wanted to or not.
I had to do something about it.
“Okay,” Robert said, nodding slowly. “I trust you.”
“It’s what we need to do,” I promised him. “It’s time to set things straight.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
