Chapter 23 Your Dreams, Verena
Verena
Over the past few days, I’d reached out to different law firms without any response, and even if I got one, it was ‘sorry, we can’t take your case.’ At first, I didn’t think much of it, maybe they had too many cases at hand just like my lawyer claimed—
But right now, I have just been turned down by the tenth lawyer. The moment I mentioned Kian Cooper’s name, the conversation that had been sailing smoothly would suddenly take a three-sixty and their faces would blanch as the same words left their mouth. “I’m sorry, Ms. Verena but our law firm wouldn’t be able to take your case”
Then followed by a refund of the consultation fee. The same pattern that evidently showed Kian’s handwriting on it.
This was his doing.
I couldn’t believe this for the life of me. Kian’s goal was to drive me mad.
As I came out of the coffee shop, glaring daggers at the retreating back of the lawyer who was either threatened or bribed by Kian, a scream almost escaped me as frustration clawed at my throat.
When he vanished from my sight, a tantrum began and right now, I didn’t care that I was outside as I kicked the heels off my feet, ripping my hands through my hair. Tiny scoffs escaped from my throat before escalating into full-blown laughter as I yanked out my phone, scrolling down to search for Kian’s unsaved number.
As it came into view, I pushed back my hair, placing a call through him.
My blood boiled. “Kian. Kian. Kian” I muttered through gritted teeth, pacing outside the coffee shop barefoot as I pressed the phone to my ear, not minding the passersby and the customers that stared at me like I had just gone mad.
He didn’t answer. Kian didn’t…
My heart made a leap when the call suddenly connected. For a second, silence followed and I could make out the way he inhaled deeply over the phone like he was getting ready for every storm that I was about to unleash.
He exhaled sharply. “One month and two days since you last called me,” he said. “Ready to come back home wifey?”
Anger consumed me and the fact that he was still feigning innocence over the phone made me want to slam my fist against the wall. And how dare he address me as his wife?
The audacity.
In the next second, I was spitting out fire. “Bro, what the FUCK is your problem? Firstly, you coerced my lawyer and his firm into dropping the case and right now, no lawyer wants to represent me”
A soft cackle left his mouth, triggering all the senses in my head. “Bro? You used to call me endearing names and now—Bro?” He sounded alarmed.
My anger intensified. “I don’t give a fuck Kian”
Kian sighed over the phone. “Concerning the law firms not taking your case, aren’t you giving me too much credit? You are making it seem like I have that power to influence almost all the law firms in the country—“ His voice was infuriatingly calm.
“Because you have the influence. Don’t even think about playing dumb with me!”
Kian’s mum literally came from an influential family deeply rooted in law and her family influenced politics and the legal field. It was almost like they controlled all the other firms. Most of his maternal cousins were judges, lawyers, and prosecutors.
And right now, the only firm that could help me was the Carter's Firm but those people only represented high-profile clients. Damn! I didn’t even want to talk about their outrageous consultation fee—
But they were good.
None of their lawyers has ever lost a single case.
He cleared his throat over the phone. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Ms. Verena Cooper—“ He said my full name just to make me know that he had taken control.
“I am not a Cooper. I am Verena Carson!” I snapped.
Silence.
“You are driving me mad, Verena. I have done nothing to warrant a divorce. If you weren’t okay with the idea of an open marriage, you could have told me but you went as far as having sex with my uncle even till now—“
My stomach churned and all through my marriage with Kian, I had never had a violent outburst but right now, I wanted to hit him. “You are sick in the head, Kian. You brought Zita to our house that night, openly disrespected me by suggesting an open marriage and that isn’t even all…you have been cheating on me with her and have the audacity to question my decision in asking for a divorce?”
“You have gone mad, Kian. You are crazy. Leave me alone Kian Cooper. You literally have Zita in your life” I was screaming, panting heavily.
I was drained, so drained that I could feel tears pricking my eyes.
What he wanted from me, why he was going this far—I didn’t know because it made no sense. Our marriage was already on the brink of collapsing before Zita even came into our lives. I was the one who was always trying to make things work despite being ignored by him. He cheated, did unspeakable things and the craziest part was he wasn't even in love with me yet, he didn’t want a divorce.
I panted, chest heaving up and down as silence stretched between us. Maybe he was having a second thought. Maybe he had realized that stressing me this way wasn’t worth it and—
Kian finally broke the silence between us. “Verena…” His voice was low—the calm before the storm. “You would wear yourself out shouting like that. That is unlike you and this only proves that my uncle is a bad influence on you. What he knows best is bringing the worst out of people and I fear, he is doing the same right now”
“This is why you don’t need the divorce…”
My blood rushed, pounding in my ears as I ran my hands through my hair, almost ripping each strand from my scalp.
I sucked in a deep breath in a bid to steady my breathing. “Why are you doing this? Is this about the properties—”
Kian huffed out a small laugh. “You know that would never affect me”
“Then why the hell are you bent on frustrating me when you are not even in love with me anymore!” I snapped again, chest heaving up and down as I struggled to breathe.
He sighed over the phone. “Deep breaths, Verena”
God. God. God.
I was losing it.
“Me not being in love with you anymore isn’t completely true. Married couples fall out of love and that is what happened to us. I thought that bringing someone else into our marriage would make me get attracted to you again…” He paused. “Wait, shouldn’t you be applauding me for trying to make our marriage work?”
I should have taken my firearm training classes seriously. If I had listened when my mum was trying to teach me how to shoot a gun, I would have ended Kian.
Or maybe I should have followed my intrusive thoughts that night when he brought Zita home and set the house on fire and watched them burn. My actions would land me in jail but that was better than listening to this nonsense.
“I have the urge to hurl more insults at you but I have better things to do. However, listen to me on this. I would find a lawyer, proceed with the divorce case, and hit you back in the worst way you have ever imagined”
He sounded like he was stifling a laugh. “Good luck finding a lawyer, wifey”
Kian was mocking me. He knew that turning to the law firm that I had left was nearly impossible for me and that was the reason for his confidence.
“I know you are smiling right now, Kian and I hope that you keep that smile on your face when we are pronounced divorced in court!”
Kian laughed. “In your wildest dreams, Verena”
“We would realize who is dreaming and who isn’t in the end.”