Prologue
"What do you mean I'm still married?" Blair Waldorf struggled to keep the hysteria out of her voice as she stared aghast at her attorney.
Unflappable as usually, the older gentlemen sat back in his chair. "Apparently your husband never filed the papers."
"But we've been separated seven years. How could this happen?"
"Failure to file is not as uncommon as you might think, Blair. But if you want to know the real reason, then you'll have to call Charles and ask him. Or let me do it."
The pain of failure, of love gone so horribly wrong, still hurt. She'd loved Chuck with every fibre of her being. But in the end her love hadn't been enough. "No I don't want to call him."
"Let's look at the big picture. You're entitled to half Charles' assets when they file again, and those assets are considerably more now than they were then."
"I'm not any more interested in Chuck's money now than I was then, I want nothing from him."
The quick flattening of her lawyers lips told her the news didn't make him happy, and no doubt she'd hear more about the subject. "I understand that you want a quick, clean break, but remember, New York is a community property state. You could get more since you didn't have a prenuptial agreement."
Another wave of worry rippled over her. "Does that mean he could also get half of my business? I've worked too hard to make 'Blair Waldorf Designs' a success to give it away."
"I won't let you lose BWD. But let's revisit what brought you here today. You can change your last name regardless of your marital status."
"My name is the least of my worries right now." Her plan to take control of her life had seemed so simple, beginning with taking back her maiden name, then starting the family she'd always wanted. But Chuck had refused to...
Her touts skidded to a halt as an elusive memory teased her. Grasping the arms of the cool leather chair, she struggled to recall the details of the story he'd confessed over too much champagne on their honeymoon, and slowly fell into place.
Hope flickered to life inside her. She'd been aching for a baby, and when she'd turned thirty two last month she'd decided to take matters into her own hands and quit waiting for the mythical Mr. Right to appear. Like the heroines of some of her favourite romantic movies, she'd decided to take things into her own hands, to get artificially inseminated via a reputable sperm bank.
She'd been reading donor profiles for weeks, but had never expected to find a donor she'd known - and once loved. She knew how many unanswered questions - some important, some not - she and her child would face down the road if she went through with her plan.
"Blair, are you all right?"
"I I'm fine." Swallowing to ease her dry mouth, Blair studied the wizened face of the man on the opposite side of the desk. "You said I'm entitled to half of everything Chuck's?"
"Yes"
Her heart raced with excitement. She struggled to regulate her quickened breaths. The idea of having Chuck's baby without his consent was ludicrous and even sneaky. It certainly wasn't the nicest thing she could do, but she desperately wanted a child, and she would never ask him for support. He'd probably forgotten about that stupid dare, anyway.
She wiped her damp palms on her pant legs. "Wile Chuck was younger he made a deposit at a sperm bank on a dare. He said he asked them to hold it for 'future use.' If the sperm bank still has his...stuff, can I have it? Or at least half of it?"
Kudos to her lawyer for not showing surprise by so much as a twitch of an eyelash. "I don't see any reason we can't pursue that option."
"Than that's what I want. I want to have Chuck's baby. And then as soon as I've conceived, I'll want a divorce."
A/N : I originally started this story on my secondary account but will be reporting and finishing here.