We walked to the car in silence. Griffin started the car. Leaving my home, my husband, my job, my friends, and my life behind seemed enough. And yet they wanted my blood to determine if I had some life-altering disease all because I slept with the man I loved? Everything had gotten so out of hand. How had this happened? I began to cry. Griffin didn’t move. He didn’t shut off the engine. He didn’t reach over to comfort me. We just stayed put until I stopped crying. I thought about the absolute absurdity of my life. Courts, freezing assets, multiple attorneys in separate states, the horrible fights, and the bitter discoveries. I started laughing. My tears were mixed with uncontrollable laughter. I couldn’t control either emotion.

“What?”

“Love, can’t give you any money, but I can leave you with an STD,” I said, forcing an English accent. “I think it’s safe to say at this point that the wheels have come off the bus.” Griffin reached over to touch my shoulder and left his hand there as we drove the rest of the way in complete silence.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Seven

The following day started with a flurry of activity. I had to go to the post office and change my address so that my mail would be forwarded to Atlanta. I had to go by my bank and change my address on my checks. Because I didn’t own a car, Griffin drove me everywhere. We even went to Home Depot to change his locks—which I knew did not make sense, but Elliott had robbed me of the feeling of personal safety. After all that, it was four o’clock. We hadn’t had time for lunch, so we headed to VERT. I fielded calls from Reggie, Elle, and Lea, who had made it their daily mission to check on me. Griffin brought me a bowl of cauliflower soup.

“Soup is love,” Elle said, urging me long distance to eat. I sat in the best booth and looked around. With all my boundless ideas I had had for this place, inspiration did not show her face. Griffin brought over a glass of iced tea and some warm brioche. Soup is also comfort food.

“Eat,” he demanded and shook his head when I asked for a glass of wine. I flipped open my laptop. My inbox had turned into Law & Order instead of quotes from vendors. I had emails from Larissa and her junior attorney. I had emails from Jake’s junior attorney. And then there was all the back-and-forth correspondence between Jake and Larissa. It took me a minute to identify the cast of characters now populating my email. There were also forwarded emails from Elliott’s attorney and ramblings from Elliott that were written around three in the morning. Griffin peered over my shoulder and said simply, “Ignore those.”