Blaming herself for the umpteenth time for not being able to keep shut when she should, Reyona pondered over and over whether she should go or not.
"Nobody needs you there anyway," her subconsciousness whispered in anger.
Reyona felt like a fool for even asking such a question. What was she going there for? Their father's wife? The wife whom none of them wanted to know about their existence? She was sure that the children knew who she was.
Reyona wondered what the two of them had told the kids about her.
Leah was sick. Reyona could see the trusting, blue eyes sparked up with an infectious smile in her mind's eyes even as she bent over the file that Charlotte brought her. She could almost feel the silky, glossy brown hair she could picture vividly in her hand as she turned the sheaf of papers over.
She had promised herself never to go to Ruth's place again while those kids were still there because of the way that innocent child had warmed her way into Reyona's heart. Seeing Thomas' features stamped on those faces was enough to make her scream, but Leah was the one that stirred the most guilt in her for having a hand in what took their mother away from them.
She was not going to go! She said to herself firmly after she found herself staring out of the window into nothingness. The perfect, smiling feature of a certain child was in her mind even though the last thing she could remember that she wanted to do was call the firm's lawyer for an inquiry about a good lawyer.
"You need to stop this, Rey," she said to herself with a snap as she firmly grabbed onto her latest resolve. No, it was not her fault that the girl was ill or anything. What she was concerned about now was to distance herself as fast and far as possible from that lying family "This wouldn't help at all," she repeated to herself as she moved away from the window and picked up the legal pad where the lawyer's number was.
She had the attorney's number in no time at all. Taking her mind off any and every thought that could influence her decision otherwise, she dialled the attorney's number, and it was picked up on the first ring as if the man had been expecting her call.
"Gibson here," a man answered cheerfully on the other end.
"Attorney Gibson?" Reyona asked hesitantly, the man's exuberant tone out of context with how she felt at the moment.
"The one and only. You can just call me Mr. Gibson if you are feeling formal, ma'am," the man replied instantly with a small chuckle.
Reyona was in no mood for his happy-go-lucky mood, and she was beginning to doubt that her lawyer understood the seriousness of what she wanted. "Okay, Mr. Gibson. Mr. Rouarkes said that I can call you regarding my divorce process."
"Oh, yes. You must be Mrs. Lanoth. Smith just told me that you will be calling," Mr. Gibson said.
"Yes, I want to serve someone a paper, and I would like to know just how fast that could be done. And you know, the whole divorce process. I want the fastest and least messy route. I want him out of my life as soon as possible," she said heatedly before clearing her throat when she realised that she was getting carried away "So, yes, that is just... that is why I call."
"Okay, Mrs. Lanoth," Mr. Gibson said from the other end, his tone for once serious since he picked, and that reassured Reyona a bit. "I assume the person you are referring to is your husband, right?"
What a stupid question! Reyona almost blurted that out, but then she curbed herself before she replied gently, "Yes, Mr. Gibson. My lawfully wedded husband"
"Well, the duration largely has a lot to do with what the divorce is based on. If the erring partner is found guilty of what the accusing partner based the divorce on, then it could be done pretty fast indeed. Also, if the idea of separation is mutual between the partners, of course. That is about the fastest."
"Oh," Reyona said, having no idea that could be an option.
"Yes, Mrs. Lanoth. So I will like to know why you want to get divorced, please. That would make it easier for me to draft the papers."
"I understand," Reyona said, then wondered how she was supposed to start. She thought briefly and shook her head in confusion.
"Mrs. Lanoth, are you still there?" Mr. Gibson said it from the other end.
"Yes, yes. I am. You can just call me Dexter. You know what? I will just get back to you, sir. Thank you for the clarification."
"Okay, ma'am. I am here if you need me for anything," the man said affably, and Reyona briefly wondered what else he thought she could need him for.
"Yes, okay. Thank you," she said, and she disconnected the call. She leaned back in her chair with a deep sigh as she thought of what she should do.
If Thomas was served with the papers, then of course he would know that she was not divorcing him because of anything she had insisted on. What did he deny? She thought.
After all, his mother had found an alibi for themselves by saying that the children belonged to his dead cousin. She had no idea where Fiona had gone since the last time the latter had hurriedly told her about her husband's deceit.
She once tried her number after that time, and it was not going through. When she asked Thomas, all he said was that she had decided to join a performance troop that went from city to city, performing acrobats and all that. He told her that he did not have any other means of getting in touch with Fiona as well when Reyona told him that her number was not going through.
"She is a grownup and can take care of herself," was the last thing he said about the issue, and Reyona had kept quiet regarding the topic.
She scrolled down on her phone and dialled the girl's number again. Same thing.
Reyona wondered if she could find a way to make the children call Thomas their dad on tape or camera. She baulked at using those innocent children like that, and she knew that the mother-son duo might lie and say that they were merely calling him like that because of his resemblance to the dead Rafe or any other bullshit they could come up with.
She rubbed her temples when a headache steadily crept on her, and she decided to let go of her jumbled thoughts for now. She knew she would come up with something soon.
She looked at her clock and saw that it was past 5 p. m. already. She knew that her employees would be long gone by now unless any of them had anything they were working on.
Reyona was reluctant about going home, though she knew that he would still be at the hospital.
She picked up her bag and raised her head when a knock sounded at her door.