7
A iva left a message as the phone went to voicemail. The delivery service she’d employed contacted her a few minutes ago, letting her know they were about to serve Mia with papers. She was calling Knox to inform him but received no answer, and left a message.
Placing her phone down, she leaned back in her chair. It was a slow day. Other than the mediation she’d attended that morning, and the two appointments she’d had that afternoon, Aiva spent the day putting together her argument for another client, who was in much of the same situation as Knox was. The only difference was it was the husband who was acting like a child.
He’d supported her during their marriage, and he was attempting to hold that over her. Using their child as leverage to make her comply with his demands. Aiva was not having it, and she was confident they’d get what her client was owed in court.
However, that just affirmed Aiva’s belief that regardless of how well off your spouse was, you needed to have a way of making your own income. Even if that income was just a hobby that you made money from on the side to save for a rainy day.
Not that she thought the dynamics of a sole breadwinner and someone who stayed at home didn’t work. It was simply that she’d seen it from this side, and she knew that in a divorce, it could become ugly. The person who held the purse strings, with all the financial responsibility in the relationship, thought they held gold in their hands in a separation. Aiva enjoyed showing them they didn’t.
She took great pleasure in turning that prize, that treasure they were attempting to hold over her client’s head into a grave of despair, an empty vault when she finished with them. People who fancied themselves bullies in separations when money and children were involved deserved to be robbed blind, and Aiva had no problem doing so.
Mediation between this client and her husband failed to help reach an agreement, but Aiva hadn’t expected them to. Especially after reading the text, he’d sent her client, and then listening to the man in their first mediation session.
Now, she was preparing for them to stand in front of a judge, and while she knew they would come out with everything her client wanted, and then some, Aiva liked to be as prepared as possible. She was double-checking everything when her office phone rang.
“This is Aiva,” she answered, leaning back in her seat.
“Hey, Aiva, it’s Knox.”
Aiva didn’t need him to tell her. She would recognize that deep baritone anywhere. Each time she heard it, it felt like a caress over her body.
“Hey, Knox. How are you?”
“I’m good, but after listening to your message, I’m sure that will change pretty soon,” Knox responded.
Aiva glanced at the time. “They should deliver it within the next couple of minutes if she’s at home.”
“Then it won’t be long before I receive a call. You were able to include the stipulation I requested? I know it was last minute.”
“I was,” Aiva responded. “I added it before I submitted the paperwork. It was a good call on your end.”
He’d called the office Sunday afternoon and left a message, asking if she could add that Mia could not take Yasmine and disappear from the state. Aiva hadn’t thought of adding it before because she didn’t see Mia doing that. The woman was selfish and seemed to just worry about herself. Which, in Aiva’s mind, told her that Mia would in no way leave her income source, which was Knox. However, she could understand that he wanted to be sure.
“Thank you for that,” Knox responded. “And thank you for the heads up.”
“It’s no problem. Whenever she retains a lawyer, and they respond, I’ll get with you to go over everything, and we’ll set up mediation as soon as we can because I feel she won’t waste any time.”
“That sounds good. I’ll be looking forward to your call. Enjoy the rest of your day, Aiva.”
“You as well, Knox.”
Aiva hung up the phone, glancing at the time again. It was just after three, and she rarely left work early, but today she planned on making an exception. She’d done everything she needed to and figured she’d shut down everything and head home.
As she left her office, she thought about stopping by Meila’s but decided against it. Aiva waved at Finx, who was on the phone, on her way out.
Sliding into her car, she pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. There was nothing she needed to do in particular, so she decided to start a new book and make herself some pasta. Aiva would spend her evening relaxing before taking on a monster and their lawyer in court the next day.
K nox had been off the phone with Aiva for ten minutes when his phone began ringing. He didn’t have to look at the screen to know who was calling. He thought for a moment about not answering it. However, Knox figured it would be better to get the initial screaming and yelling out of the way. If he waited, if she called him multiple times before he answered, then he knew it would only get worse. He didn’t want to deal with that. He didn’t want to deal with her at all, but he didn’t have a choice.
Knox grabbed his tablet and brought up the camera, making sure that the timestamp showed as he started recording. He answered the phone on speaker, and before he could say anything, Mia immediately began screaming.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she all but screeched, and the pitch of her voice made him wince. “How dare you have me served with divorce papers! Have you lost your mind?!”
“I have not,” Knox told her calmly.
“You must have because there is no way I’ll agree to this. You want to only pay me the measly two million in the prenup? I will not accept that. You owe me more for the years I put in.”
Knox didn’t owe her anything. He’d taken care of her their entire marriage. Lost count of the amount of money she’d wasted because she often bought things on a whim that she either never wore, used, or needed to begin with.
He also wasn’t surprised that was the first thing she’d said. The first thing she’d been worried about. Knox knew Mia well and knew that was the only thing she cared about. It pissed him off she hadn’t even mentioned his petition for full custody and hadn’t brought Yasmine up.
Knox decided when they’d separated that he would not engage in any conversation with Mia that wasn’t about Yasmine. When he’d filed for divorce, Knox again decided that he wouldn’t discuss anything with her regarding their divorce without their lawyers. However, that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t allow her to rant and rave. To give weight to his case.
“You just wait until my lawyer gets a hold of you. You will regret devaluing me, treating me like I’m not worth more.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Knox responded before ending the call.
He stopped the recording, giving it a title with the date, and leaned back on his couch. Knox hadn’t been on the phone with her for five minutes, hadn’t said but two sentences to her, yet he felt a headache coming on.
While Knox was upset that Mia hadn’t even thought about their daughter when she was served, hadn’t mentioned Yasmine he also knew that it would give him the advantage of getting full custody. Whether she hadn’t asked because the money was the first thing she’d seen and didn’t finish reading, or that it was the only thing that clicked for her. Either way, her not bringing their daughter up would show that Mia thought about herself above all others to a judge.
Knox knew Aiva was right. Mia wouldn’t waste any time trying to get more out of him. So, while he knew he wouldn’t have to wait long for her answer, or rather, her retaliation, he knew it would be a long process. He’d prepared himself for it.
Knox thought about calling Aiva back, but what could he say to her? Honestly, he just wanted to hear her voice again. It was why he’d initially called her back, even though he’d listened to her voicemail.
That was another part of this process he’d prepared himself for, asking Aiva on a date. Knox was a man of patience. He had to be dealing with Mia all these years. So, he was fine waiting until after his divorce to ask her. It would be unfair to her if he attempted to do so while still attached, even if it was just by a piece of paper.
Knox wanted the opportunity to date her properly, pursue her properly, the way she deserved to be. He always went into things 100 percent, and he wanted to do the same when he finally asked her out.
Turning on the television, Knox leaned back and flipped through the channels, exhausted after a brief conversation with his soon-to-be ex-wife.