Dangerous Desires | PJM 18+

TWENTY-FOUR

Cameron pulls out the brown leather chair for me causing me to roll my eyes at the façade he's putting on. Even my lawyer let out a chuckle without any underlying humor at the show playing out before her. Thanking him anyway to not look like a total bitch in front of the judge, I take my seat and place my purse next to me. Taking a nervously deep breath, I smile at the elderly man sitting adjacent to me.

"Mr. and Mrs. Scott, I have been informed that Mrs. Amelia Scott is seeking out a divorce from Mr. Cameron Scott. Is this correct?" Judge Lenorman proceeds, not wasting a minute and for that, I was thankful. It was already painful enough just being here.

"This is correct," I speak up and my soon-to-be ex-husband makes a small noise for confirmation as well.

"Now, from what I understand, Mr. Scott is not in agreement with this decision. Is this true?"

"Yes, it is," Cameron states with a simple nod of his head.

Glancing over at me, I lock eyes with the judge for a moment before he continues. "Mrs. Scott, you don't have to tell me but it may help me in my ruling, but what is the reason for you to file for divorce?"

Clearing my throat, I look to Marie who nods for me to answer his question. "For years, we have been unhappy. On many occasions, we seemed more like two roommates than a married couple and even more frequently, we'd argue and fight with one another until it's become toxic. He'd spend most of his free time away from me regardless of how much effort I was trying to put into our marriage and I just got fed up with the continuous lack of effort on his part and the manipulation he gave me to try to make me believe I was lacking as a wife. A marriage takes effort from both people in order to work and I haven't felt any from him in a very long time."

Taking a deep breath, I glance over to Cameron and look him up and down when he lowers his head in shame, "And the final straw was when I came back to the house one day to grab some more of my things only to find him having sexual relations with someone else."

Regardless of how I feel about Cameron, I will not out his sexual orientation in front of strangers. I don't know if he was telling the truth about just now realizing that he's possibly bisexual, I don't know if he just felt the need to experiment, and I don't know if he's still seeing any of those men; it's really none of my business anymore.

But I do know that he's not public with his sexuality and therefore, I will not be the one to put that part of his life on blast. That can be something he can do on his own if he wanted to openly admit that he was receiving oral sex from a man when I walked in on him in the den that day.

Clasping his hands together, the judge leans back in his chair and looks over to Cameron instead, "And Mr. Scott, do you agree with everything that Mrs. Scott has said?"

"Yes sir," he admits. "We haven't exactly been in a loving relationship for most of our marriage. We fought often and I ignored her even more. I do also admit that I was unfaithful before we made our separation official."

"Then why do you disagree with the divorce? From what I hear, Mrs. Scott is willing to give you everything." The judge tilts his head in confusion, the lines between his brows deepening as he tries to understand it all.

"Because I still love her, your honor." He looks over at me, "I will always love her. Mia is a wonderful woman and I know I've been a foolish man. A foolish man who wants to prove that I'm still the man she fell in love with."

But I don't know if the woman I am today would fall in love with the man he used to be.

I'm not that same ignorant girl anymore.

"I see," the judge hums. A few moments of silence overcome the chambers; a silence so loud that even breathing seemed to be too noticeable amongst the five souls sitting in this small room. "You two have been married for a little over five years which is still such a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things. I am going to require six weeks of marriage counseling. After that time, if Mrs. Scott is still seeking a divorce, I will grant it."