My Husband Wants An Open Marriage

CHAPTER 029: The Bargain

Ryan O'Brien~~

Ryan O'Brien stares down at the stack of papers in his hands, the ones just handed to him by a server.

TO: RYAN O'BRIEN

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action, which is brought to obtain a divorce, and to appear before the Ravenswood District Court of the State of New York, Greenwood County, within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons upon you."

Complaint:

"PARTIES:

Plaintiff: JULIE JENKINS (currently known as JULIE O'BRIEN)

Defendant: RYAN O'BRIEN

GROUND FOR DIVORCE:

Adultery (Domestic Relations Law § 170(1))

The world blurs for a second. A divorce Summon?

He reads it again, slower this time, each word grating against his mind, and his grip tightens on the paper. Somewhere in the background, he hears a faint hum. It's Emily. She's hovering beside him with her hand

on the back of his chair.

"How did she manage that so quickly?" Emily asks. She doesn't sound unhappy about it. In fact, Ryan could swear there's a hint of amusement in her voice.

Ryan doesn't answer. He can't. He's barely breathing, each word still sinking its sharp little claws into his brain. The room feels like it's closing in on him; he forces himself to focus on the summons, but all he can see is the stark finality of Julie's name.

He hears a cough. The server, still waiting, his hand stretched out as he points to the line marked for Ryan's signature. "Mr. O'Brien," the server says. "You'll need to sign here to acknowledge receipt."

Ryan's hands tremble as he scrawls his name in a jagged, barely legible line. The server thanks him with cool professionalism, nods once to Emily, and exits, leaving the two of them alone.

As the door clicks shut, Emily lets out a breath. Her fingers trace the back of Ryan's chair as she leans closer. "Wow," she says. "Adultery. Julie's been busy. It's not even been a day since she left the house. How in the world did she pull this off?" Ryan forces himself to swallow, barely managing to control his breathing.

"Are you alright?" Emily asks.

""Excuse me," Ryan mutters. "I need to be alone."

CHAPTER 029: The Bargain

Emily hésitates, confusion flashing across her face, but finally nods and steps back, letting him go. He waits until the door closes behind her. Then, like a reflex, he snatches his phone from his desk and dials Julie's number.

It rings once. Then twice. And again.

Nothing. Her voicemail clicks on.

He hangs up and calls again. His hands are shaking as he paces the room, his breaths shallow. Pick up. Just pick up. But there's no answer. Only that infuriating beep that signals her voicemail.

A growl escapes his throat, and in a rage, he hurls the phone across the room. It collides with the wall, shattering, pieces clattering to the ground.

He stands there, breathless, staring at the remnants of his phone on the floor. The divorce summons sits on his desk, waiting, haunting him.

This can't be. He won't let this happen. He grabs his coat and storms out of the office. Emily looks up from her desk as she sees him approaching. "Call and find out where they're keeping Elaine Jenkins, Julie's mother," he says.

Emily's eyes widen. "Is there a problem?"

"Just do it."

She fumbles for her phone, pressing it to her ear as she dials, giving him a look that's part concern, part confusion as she speaks to someone on the other end,

After a short exchange, Emily scribbles an address on a notepad and hands it to him, hesitating just a moment before letting go. He grabs the paper, glancing down at the address of the detention center. His mother-in-law's current residence.

Just before he leaves, he turns back to Emily. "I'll need a new phone by the time I get back."

Ryan's in an office at the detention center, eyes fixed on the door. He's spent the last hour shifting in his seat, waiting impatiently for Elaine to be brought to him.

The door creaks, and finally, Elaine Jenkins enters, shackles and all, with a guard who, after a pointed glare, leaves them alone in the room.

Elaine settles into her chair across from him, brows raised. "What the hell took you so long, Ryan? I asked for a lawyer yesterday, and it's been hours. My arraignment hearing's in a couple hours, and I don't have a damn lawyer. Do you actually want me to go to prison? It's your fault I'm here in the first place. Why aren't you doing anything about it?"

Ryan's jaw ticks. He tries to clamp down on it, keep it steady. But it's hard not to explode. "You tried to throw my wife off a bridge, Elaine. What the hell is wrong with you?" He spits the words out, low and hard. "All I asked was for you to talk to her. Talk. Maybe make her rethink things, drop that boyfriend of hers. But you decided to-what? Shove her off a fucking bridge?"

"I wasn't going to push her, Ryan. Jesus, give me some credit. If I wanted her dead, there are much easier ways to go about it. I just wanted to shake her up a little, get her to come to her senses. Where the hell is

CHAPTER 029: The Bargain

my lawyer?"

He stares at her, biting down a furious retort. "Julie asked me not to send one."

"Are you serious right now? You were the one who sent me, remember?"

"I'm not going to accept that," he hisses, voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Don't try to make me your accomplice in this mess."

"Sure you are."

"I'm not," he snaps, fighting to keep his voice down, looking around to make sure no guards are eavesdropping. "And keep your voice down."

She rolls her eyes, leaning forward. "If you're not here with my lawyer, then why are you here, Ryan?"

He takes a deep breath, running a hand over his face, as if it could somehow wipe away the mess he's in." Julie took some things from the house last night," he says, almost to himself, his voice low and pained." And left."

Elaine's eyes narrow, but she says nothing.

"This morning," he continues, "she served me divorce papers. On grounds of adultery. And it's your fault." He points at her. "We were still okay before you tried to throw her off a bridge."

Her eyebrow arches. "How is it my fault you cheated, Ryan?"

"Well," he says, "I asked her to drop the charges against you, and she... she exploded."

For a split second, something flickers in Elaine's eyes, maybe guilt or some faint shadow of sympathy." You did?" she says, giving him a small, almost affectionate smile. "That's... oddly thoughtful of you. But I don't see how any of this is my business."

Ryan clenches his fists, words spilling out as he fights to stay calm. "It's your business because you have to fix it, Elaine. I don't want a divorce. Besides the scandal it would cause with the press and my family, I don't want Julie to leave me. That's the reason I asked you to talk to her in the first place! But you did the exact opposite. So do whatever you can to fix this."

Elaine tilts her head, watching him. "Well, well. You really do love her, don't you?" She pauses, eyes narrowing. "I know I messed up with the whole bridge thing, but I was doing it for you. I just wanted her to see reason. I didn't know she had it in her to actually file for divorce. I'm almost... impressed.

"Really?" he says. "That's what you have to say to me?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, Ryan, but I'm in prison."Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

"You're in a holding cell, Elaine. Not prison."

"

She glares at him. "What difference does it make? The key point is, I'm locked up, and you're sitting here whining about your marriage."

He leans forward, fists on the table. "What do you expect me to do about you being locked up?"

Elaine considers him, tapping her finger against her lips. "Like I said, my arraignment is later today. Say you get me out of here before the end of the day, I'll see about helping you get Julie back."

CHAPTER 029 The Bargain

Ryan stares at her, mouth slightly open. "You're here for a possible assault charge... maybe even attempted murder. You think I can just waltz you out of the courtroom after the arraignment?" She waits a beat, letting the silence settle between them before she leans in, voice cool and steady. "Do you want your wife back or not?"