near: A Billionaire Romance (Distance Series by GIGI VALE Book 1)

1. Gemma

My stomach churns. This will be the first time I’ll see Oliver since the fallout. I clutch the leather strap of my bag like a lifeline as I walk down the hall.

Just keep breathing. You can do this. But the truth is, I’m not so sure. Facing Oliver again feels like reopening an infected wound that has never fully healed. What a naive fool I was.

Rounding the corner, my foot catches on the polished tile—

The impact is sudden and jarring. Papers fly.

“I’m sorry,” a female voice says.

Her white-blonde hair falls over her face as she scrambles to gather the scattered pages. “Sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you.”

It’s the first time I hear her speak.

“It’s okay.” I crouch down, helping her collect the chaos. “Really.”

“I’m such a klutz.”

“No harm done. You’re Amanda’s assistant, right?”

“Yes.” Her hands shake as she takes the papers from me. “I-I should’ve watched where I was going.”

I stand up and brush off my jeans. “Or I should have. Important stuff?”

She nods, clutching the papers to her chest now as if they’re precious cargo. “Always. It’s for Amanda.”

“That sounds intense.”

“Could say that.”

“I’m here to see her, actually,” I say.

“Of course, I’m sorry. Gemma Barron. Appointment with Amanda. I’ll bring you to her.”

“Thank you. What’s your name? I think we never officially met.”

“Milane.” Her eyes dart up to mine before she turns around as if direct contact might burn and gestures for me to follow her.

“Hey Gemma, you ready for this?” My lawyer, Amanda, is already waiting for me in front of her office.

She’s an imposing figure, with her tall height and confident posture. Her no-nonsense demeanor is clear in every inch of her sharp suit. The direct opposite of me.

After months of trying to get through this divorce, I’m a mess.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Amanda leads me into her office so we can prepare for the deposition. I sit across from her organized desk as she grabs a folder with all the details about my case.

“To recap, this deposition is our opportunity to have Oliver go on record regarding the specifics of your marriage and his infidelity. We’ll be asking him questions about his affairs and other facts that will help prove he was an unfaithful spouse.”

My hands clench into fists. Even now, after all this time, it hurts.

“This won’t be easy but try to keep your emotions in check. We don’t want to give his lawyer any reason to say you are irrational or unstable.”

I take a deep breath and nod again. She’s right. I can’t let Oliver get to me today.

“We’ll address any allegations made by Oliver’s side. We must be prepared for them to bring up anything they think might discredit you.”

“Like what?”

“Anything from past relationships to personal conflicts.” Her eyes meet mine. “You’ll be sitting across from him at the table with me. We’ll have a court reporter present to transcribe everything said. Answer all questions in a calm and honest manner. Don’t volunteer extra information. Keep your answers concise.”

“Okay.” The mere idea of sitting across from Oliver makes me feel sick.

Amanda leans forward, her expression earnest. “Remember, you have the truth on your side here. We have strong evidence of his infidelity and deceit. Let that give you strength today.”

I’m so relieved Amanda took me on as her client. She has been my constant support. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her.

Filing for divorce pushed me back to life, but I’m still worried about my brother, Sebastian. He assured me it wouldn’t be a problem cutting ties with Oliver. Nevertheless, I brought Oliver into our family. Everything is happening because of my poor judgment.

There’s a knock on the door, and Amanda’s assistant peeks her head in. “They’re here.”

My stomach drops.

This is it. After years of lies and betrayal, I’m getting what I deserve—my freedom from this sham of a marriage.

Amanda gathers her legal pad and folders while I stand on shaky legs, drying my sweaty palms on my jeans. I chose my favorite blue blouse this morning, hoping it would bring me luck and confidence. It’s not working.

“You’ve got this. Remember, the truth is on your side.” Amanda places a hand on my back and guides me to the conference room.

And there he is.

Oliver.

My husband, almost ex-husband, is already sitting inside the room with his lawyer present. His slicked-back hair and expensive suit scream arrogance. He looks up, eyes gleaming with that predatory charm that once fooled me. Now, it just makes my skin crawl, and I want to smack that stupid grin right off his face.

I lift my chin and stare straight ahead, refusing to meet his gaze as I take my seat.

“Let’s start, shall we?” Amanda sits down beside me, shuffling her papers.

“Yes,” Oliver’s lawyer says.

“When did you first meet Ms. Barron, Mr. Dorrance?” Amanda asks.

Oliver leans back in his chair, that insufferable smirk still plastered on his face. “Last I checked, she was still Mrs. Dorrance.”

Mrs. Dorrance? As if our marriage wasn’t over the moment he slid his wedding ring off to seduce another woman.

“Please answer the question, Mr. Dorrance,” Amanda says.

“It was in college. No one in the room was more beautiful than her. I knew right away we were meant to be together.”

Under the table, I dig my nails into my palms. All his sweet words are an act, even at that moment.

“And how did you propose?”

“On a trip to Paris. I arranged a private dinner. When she stepped out onto the balcony, I dropped to one knee and asked her to be my lovely wife.”

Lies. He proposed over text from a business trip after months of me hinting. When he came back, he brought a heart-shaped balloon and a ring. Why did I say yes?

“When did you get married?”

“Six months later.”

Amanda nods, making a note. “And how would you describe your marriage?”

“Eventful.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“We had our ups and downs,” he says. “Mostly ups for me.”

That asshole.

“How would you describe your relationship during the first year of marriage?”

“Good. Stable.” Oliver shrugs. “She was supportive of my business ventures.”

Supportive? Try exploited.

“So, by your account, you and Ms. Barron had a good relationship for the first few years of marriage?” Amanda asks.

“Of course. Gemma and I were quite happy. Still are.”

Liar. Even early on, I could have seen the cracks forming. The late nights ‘working’ that reeked of perfume, not my own. The ‘business trips’ that never quite added up. But I still hoped.

I didn’t want it to be true. I gave up so much, and for what?

Amanda studies her notes, then looks up. “When did you first begin engaging in extramarital affairs?”

“I’m advising my client not to answer that.” Oliver’s lawyer chimes in.

“Why are we even doing this, darling? We’re happy,” Oliver says.

“We’re not happy. You cheated—”

Amanda places her hand on my arm. “How many affairs did you have during your marriage?”

“This line of questioning is irrelevant,” Oliver’s lawyer says.

“We’re here solely for the purpose of discussing that. It’s the whole reason this divorce is happening.” Amanda turns her steely gaze back to Oliver. “Well?”

He stays silent, glaring at her.

“So you deny being unfaithful to Ms. Barron during your marriage?”

Oliver glances at me, then looks away. “I... may have had some indiscretions. But I would hardly call them affairs.”

I have to stop myself from laughing out loud.

“I have affidavits here from multiple witnesses confirming your affairs.” Amanda holds up a stack of papers. “Shall we go through each one? How about we start with Megan, your secretary, right? We have her statement here.” She takes out a piece of paper.

“Yes,” Oliver says.

“Yes? So you had relations with her?”

“No, she was my secretary, that’s all.”

She wasn’t only his secretary. All the business trips he went on, he took her with him. I thought it wasn’t a big deal until I saw the photos from the private investigator my best friends had hired.

“How long did that relationship last?”

Oliver slams his fist on the table. “This is absurd! My personal life is none of your damn business!”

His lawyer tries to calm him as Amanda remains unruffled, sliding over the piece of paper. “You made it my business when you broke vows and won’t sign the divorce papers. Now answer the question.”

The lawyer leans over to Oliver, whispering something into his ear.

He scoffs. “A year.”

A whole year? I need to throw up.

Amanda continues. “Let’s discuss Sara, your intern. How long did that affair last?”

Oliver glances over at his lawyer, who nods. “A few months.”

“And Katrina, from… Accounting?”

When was he ever faithful?

“I don’t… Maybe… a few months. Look—”

Amanda cuts him off. “No, you look. Your indiscretions have consequences. You made vows. Vows you had no intention of keeping. So this marriage is over.” She turns to Oliver’s lawyer. “Tell your client to sign the papers.”

I have to hide a satisfied smile. Amanda remains poised and in control, while Oliver appears flustered. For the first time, I have the upper hand.

“That’s not true! I loved Gemma,” Oliver says. “I still do. Things... happen. I’m not perfect. No marriage is perfect.”

I blink, fighting back tears. What a bald-faced lie. He never loved me. I’m merely another trophy, a bank account for him.

“You had multiple affairs over the course of your marriage. Do you dispute that?” Amanda asks.

“Well, no, but—”

“I believe we’re done here.” Amanda gathers her papers.

Oliver’s lawyer holds up his hand. “Not quite. We have evidence that Ms. Barron was similarly... indiscreet during the marriage, which means the asset proposal has to be reevaluated.”

I jerk my head up. “What? I….”

Amanda puts her papers back on the desk. “We’re here to take Mr. Dorrance’s statement, not Ms. Barron’s.”

Oliver’s lawyer removes photos from a folder and pushes them over to me. “Explain your relationship with this man.”

The photos show a woman with a man outside a restaurant. She resembles me, but that’s... I never… that’s not me.

“Mr. Herrington, if you want to discuss any fake photos, I suggest another meeting.”

“I think this meeting is fine. Ms. Barron, care to explain?”

“That’s not me.”

“Not you? Seems like we have to do another investigation. Until this matter is resolved, I’m afraid the papers won’t be signed.”

“No. The papers will be signed next week. Mr. Dorrance’s refusal to sign the divorce papers has already caused undue emotional distress for my client.”

The lawyer sneers, tucking the photos away in his folder. “Mr. Dorrance simply wishes to ensure that all financial matters are settled fairly before proceeding. You’ve been slandering him the past hour. I think we can wait a little until the new evidence is cleared.”

“This is character assassination. Ms. Barron’s conduct is not the issue here.”

“We’ll see about that. There is plenty of time to discuss the assets.”

They argue back and forth as I sit paralyzed. Somehow, Oliver’s lawyer spins more half-truths. Why can’t he let me go? I’m worthless to him. He doesn’t want me.

Oliver saunters over. “Don’t look so upset, darling. We’re still man and wife in the eyes of the law. See you at home... wife.”

His lawyer guides him out of the room.

I slump back into my seat. My hands shaking. How long?

“This is nothing more than another manipulative tactic to prolong the divorce. We’ll get this done soon. Don’t worry.” Amanda slams her folders on the desk.

Soon? I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. Oliver has won again. When will I finally be free of him?

“Gemma, I need you to listen carefully.” She leans forward. “Starting your own business right now is risky.”

“But how long am I supposed to wait?” My voice breaks with frustration. “This keeps going and going.”

“I know, but legally, it’s a minefield. You’re still married to that asshole. Any business you start may be considered marital property. He could claim a stake in it.”

The room seems to shrink around me, the walls inching closer with each word she utters. “So, what should I do? Put my life on hold because of him? Again?” He already stole too many years from me.

“Not on hold. But perhaps... you could have someone else front the business for you until the divorce is final.”

I ponder her suggestion, turning it over in my mind like a precious gemstone. “Someone else?”

“Yes. A friend or family member you trust. This would make sure Oliver can’t touch it.”

Bastian, my brother? Or my best friends, Mary and Lil? My parents? Could I burden them with this? But then again, Sebastian always had a knack for business, and Mary and Lil would fight tooth and nail for me.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Just be cautious. Oliver is watching your every move right now, and his lawyer is playing dirty.”