Chapter 12 ~ Break Me, Shake Me
A few clicks later, the window popped up. The sender was listed as S-L_Chloe the open mail server of Lexcorp. The subject line was empty, so his gaze latched immediately onto the text. Only a handful of lines.
Alexander,
Since you obviously have come to a decision about our relationship, far be it from me to hold you back. You want the divorce? Fine! Don't expect me to show up for the signing of the papers, though. You'll get what you want eight months from now, and I am sure you'll be able to resist your primal urges until then. If you can't I am sure you'll be able to keep it under the rug.
Chloe
Lex reread the mail several times, shaking his head disbelievingly, over and over again.
"Impossible," he whispered. "She can't do that."
Without tearing his gaze away from the laptop, he reached for his phone, dialing the number blindly and lifting the receiver to his ear.
"Steinberg and Wolff, Family…"
"Sam, it's me." He interrupted his old friend before he could get the whole line out. "She e-mailed me. Tell me she can't do that."
"Uhm. Lex. I'm afraid you lost me." Sam sounded confused. How could he not understand what Lex was saying?
"She e-mailed me. She told me to go ahead. She isn't even going to sign the papers. Tell me she can't do that!" Lex forced through his teeth.
A deep sigh on the other end of the line had Lex closing his eyes in defeat.
"Lex, I'm afraid she can."
Lex shook his head in denial.
"As long as you and the officials can't find her within the next thirty days, she'll automatically be reported as missing and the divorce will go through without her ever even having to see a lawyer or sign any papers."
"No." It was the only thing he could think to say.
"I'm sorry, Lex." Sam's voice was filled with genuine worry and compassion. "I really don't know how I could help you beyond this anymore. Are you sure you don't wanna try and reconcile with her, maybe apolo..."
"No." This time it came out with more conviction and a lot colder. "I will not apologize! I was not the one who walked out and threw away everything we've built over the years. I didn't disappear from the face of the planet without so much as an explanation or one single attempt at working things out. She's the one who has to apologize, not me."
Sam sighed heavily on the other end. "Lex, sometimes it's not about being the one who made the mistakes, it is about being the first to make amends and find a way to mend what's been broken."
Lex's eyes narrowed. "I will not crawl on my knees for something 'she' has done wrong." He took a deep breath. "But I will find her, and we will have this out. I'll make her see that she doesn't prove anything with this."
"So will you revoke the divorce?" Sam sounded almost hopeful.
Lex thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "No, if I revoke it now, she's simply gonna think she has won. Keep going with the divorce, I'm sure by the time it gets through this will already be long over and forgotten and I can still revoke as soon as she's back where she belongs."
"Lex, are you sure you want to risk that?" Sam's voice was filled with doubt, as if he knew Ch… 'her' better than Lex himself.
"I am sure. Goodbye, Sam."
Lex hung up the phone and his eyes focused on the words in her e-mail again. If you didn't know who it came from, the words sounded cold and detached, but he knew his wife. She'd been hurt by this move and he was willing to bet his last dollar that she didn't really want to go through with the divorce. Sure, in the heat of the moment she had sent him the e-mail telling him to go ahead, pretending she didn't care, but he knew she did. She couldn't fool him.
"I love you, and I know you love me too." He blindly reached into his desk drawer and pulled out the small box that he kept in there. Popping the lid open, his eyes fell on her wedding ring.
He'd picked it up that day, when she'd left, and put it in a small box. He'd kept it safe even as he'd thrown out the few other belongings that she'd left behind in a fit of rage.
"I will get you back. That's a promise," he said as he slowly ran his finger over the shining gold band inside the box.
Chloe leaned heavily on the counter in front of her, staring at her half empty glass of Guinness. Two hours ago, Lois would have sealed her fate. Of course it had actually been herself who'd done that, when she'd sent her email to Lois with instructions on how to forward it to Lex.
Now she was sitting in her favorite bar, morose and getting drunk off her ass on Irish dark beer. She didn't even know how she'd gotten herself through the working day first. Dan had recognized immediately that something was wrong and had only let up when she'd snapped at him in front of half the staff in the newsroom.
Of course, Dan Simmons being who he was, he had only given it a rest for the moment. As soon as they got let off for the day, he'd grabbed her by the elbow and let loose on a very stern talking to, involving quite a few vulgar Briticisms, and dragged her out and to his car. By that point Chloe had been too exhausted to protest, or even snark back at him.
He'd driven them to 'Phil's Pub' in silence, opened both the passenger side and entrance door for her and ushered her straight to the bar. After he'd practically positioned her on one of the stools Dan had ordered a pint for each of them and sat down next to her.
Chloe refused to say a word for the first half hour and two pints. Dan had accepted her silence and waited. Now she was on her third tall glass and she could feel the alcohol sluggishly making its way through her system. It had the rather unpleasant effect of loosening her tongue. Another unpleasant side effect was that it also made her not give a good god damn about that fact.
"You're an asshole," she muttered, cutting a glance towards Dan.
"And you're a silly bint if you think that's enough to get rid of me," the lanky blonde shot back at her.
"Your just asking for trouble, bringing me here," she said evenly.
"Trouble's my second name." He shrugged his left shoulder carelessly, like he so often did and took a swig of his own beer before he continued. "So want to tell me your story now?"
"There is no story." Her words were already a bit slurred from the alcohol.
"Uh huh, sure," he said and gave a disbelieving snort.
"Dan," she started pleadingly, but he cut her off.
"Listen, Charlie I'm your friend. We've known each other for quite a while now, and I'm not stupid."
She opened her mouth to protest but he held a hand up to stop her. When she fell silent, he quickly lit a cigarette and continued. "I remember clearly the first time I saw you," he mused. "Nearly eight months ago now, you showed up at our paper out of nowhere. Obviously an American bird and probably never been to London, or England for that matter, before. You were looking for a job and for some reason, Jacob hires you, without a decent resume or any proof that you'd ever worked as a reporter before."
Chloe bit her bottom lip and looked deeply into her glass at that. She hadn't known that Dan was aware of the circumstances under which she'd gotten hired. It hadn't been anything illegal. She had proven her capability with a couple of articles she'd written and never published anywhere.
"Then, for the first three months, you work like a machine, hardly speaking to anyone. Nobody knows anything about you that goes past the time you showed up. To top it off, you go stark barking mad at the oddest things," he went on. "Hell, sometimes it looked like all it took was seeing a bald guy on the streets."
Chloe expelled a huff at that. Dan obviously didn't know how close to home he was hitting.
"Somehow though, charming bloke that I am -" He smiled cockily at that. "- I manage to get to know you better and I think by now, I have a fairly good idea of who you are. Over time, you get settled in, you stop freaking out at odd occasions, things look to be going okay."
Chloe took a long drink from her glass, hoping Dan was finished with his little tale soon.
"Then a couple months ago," he snapped his fingers, "It's back to the barking madwoman. Sure, you were hiding it better, but I also happen to know you better, now. And today things came to a head. Bloody hell, even Marcy could see you were on a short fuse!"
Marcy was the most oblivious and self-involved person Chloe had ever met in her life. And she'd met quite a few of that sort. She pressed her lips together tightly and tried to get a grip on her own feelings.
"Are you finished," she asked with forced lightness.
"Almost," he answered evenly. "See, knowing all this and especially after today, there's no chance you can make me believe there is no story."
Chloe turned her head to her beer in resignation, staying silent.
"Hey, I may look like a model, but I am still a reporter, aren't I?"
She snorted a laugh at that and looked back at Dan with his tall, lanky build and long crooked nose in his otherwise handsome face. Big brown eyes sparkled back at her in mischief and she couldn't help but grin a little.
"Model my ass," she said dead-pan.
"What," Dan shot back indignantly, "You can't tell me this body isn't made for Calvin Klein and sexy Swedish Bikini girls plastering themselves all over it!" Dan grinned rakishly at her.
Laughing even harder, Chloe shook her head, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. When she had calmed down from her fit, his grin softened into a comforting smile.
"Now that we got that settled. Come on Charlie, why don't you tell me your story?"
"Because you really don't wanna hear it," she answered hesitantly, "And I'm pretty sure I can't tell it again without having a complete breakdown." She stared at her glass and took another drink, emptying it completely.
Dan stubbed out his cigarette and ordered another two pint.
"I'm a tough guy, I can take it," he answered, "If worse comes to worst, I'll knock you out and take you home," he joked.
"Thanks," she snarked sarcastically, "That's what I call a real friend."
"Oi, that's what mates are for!" Dan protested and went on to explain. "Only a real friend would knock you out and then drag your drunk arse all the way home to crash on your couch."
"Of course," Chloe rolled her eyes, sending the room spinning for a moment, "How could I not know that."
Dan nodded then shook his head. "Stop stalling, Charlie. Just spill already."
Chloe sighed, took a long drink from her new Guinness, fiddled with Dan's cigarette box then took one of the slim tubes out and lit it. She coughed violently at the first drag, but after the second it got better. Looking back up, she squarely met Dan's gaze. As she saw his open, trusting expression and the sincere concern in those brown eyes, she made her decision.
"First of all," she started, "Call me Chloe, because that's my name." Charlize Lance was a persona. It helped get her through the day, but at night, in her bed, it was Chloe Luthor-Sullivan that curled up under the blankets and fell asleep feeling empty.
Lex was furious, livid, one step short of completely exploding. He should have known. He'd been looking for his wife all over the damn planet and meanwhile, she'd been right under his nose. How she managed to stay hidden for almost a year like this was beyond him though.
Banging his fist on the non-descript apartment door, he yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Open the damn door, right now!"
It was seven in the evening, someone had to be home. After he'd traced the email, which had taken longer than he'd expected, he'd stormed out of the penthouse and made his way straight here at break neck speed.
He pounded on the wood again, sending it shaking in the frame. "Don't fuck with me, Lois! I know you're home and I know she's here. Open the fucking door!"
Lex had never liked his wife's cousin. She was a vitriol spitting viper that liked nothing more than to find dirt on every businessman he'd ever dealt with. She never went as far as going against him openly, but she made damn sure that everyone got the insinuations.
The door finally opened, only far enough to jerk against the chain holding it in place. Lois' face appeared in the thin crack, cold blue eyes flashing steel at him.
"What do you want, Luthor," she spat.
"You know damn well what I want, Lane," he gritted through his teeth. "I want my wife! Now open that damn door and let me in!"
Lois snorted and took a step back from the door shaking her head. "She's not here, and even if she was, I wouldn't let you in while you're acting like this," she stated coldly.
Lex uttered a low growl. His patience had run out before he'd even gotten to the apartment complex. "Open the door, or I swear, I will break it down."
She barked out a laugh at that, shaking her head. "I'd like to see you tr…"
The sentence turned into a yell as the door gave way under the assault of Lex's kick, the catch that kept the chain in place breaking under the impact.
"Are you insane?!" Lois yelled even as Lex stalked inside the apartment, his gaze taking in every part of the room. It was devoid of any indication that Chloe had ever been there.
Lex swirled around and grabbed Lois by the shoulders. She immediately started struggling against his grip.
"Where is she," he demanded harshly, tightening his grip on Lois' shoulders. "Where the fuck is she?!"
Lois had had enough. Her eyes flashed furiously, promising painful vengeance and she delivered a hard kick to his shin. At the same time, she sent her forehead butting straight onto Lex's nose. While he was momentarily stunned, she reeled around in his grip, taking hold of his arm and throwing him over her hip to the ground.
Lex hit the floor with a grunt, his face flaring with pain as he tried to struggle back up into a sitting position. Lois was unexpectedly strong as she pinned his legs to the ground and brought her forearm down across his throat, pinning him in place with enough pressure to cut off his air supply.
"Now you listen to me, Luthor and listen closely," she snarled.
Their faces where so close Lex could feel her hot breath against the sensitive skin of his nose. He tried to struggle once more, but Lois only pinned him down harder.
"I'll only tell you this once," she continued, her eyes spitting cold fire at him. "Chloe left you, because you were a complete and utter asshole. She left because you wouldn't listen to her when she triedto salvage things. It is your fault that she left and she won't be coming back."
Lex stoically glared back at her, not caring about her damn attitude or the things she said. All he wanted to know was where he would find his wife.
"Where is she?" he wheezed out through the pressure on his larynx.
"I told you, I don't know where she is. But I do know that she doesn't want to be found by you."
He struggled against her hold once more. His strength was waning with every moment she continued to cut short his air supply.
"Let me go," he rasped.
"No," she answered coldly, "I'm not done with you. "
She shifted her hold on his legs slightly, still keeping the arm across his throat. "You're an asshole, Luthor, and far from a good man. The only thing you had going for you, that kept me from ripping you to pieces in the public arena was my cousin."
He glared back silently, challenging her with a look to continue this moral diatribe.
"She loved you, you bastard! Chloe loved you and gave everything she could to make this marriage work and keep you on the straight and narrow. But you threw it all back in her face!"
His gaze turned away, fixing on anything other than Lois' face. He didn't care to hear that.
"Fucking look at me!" She yelled the words in his face, pressing harder on his throat. His eyes snapped back to her furious ones.
"She loved you and now she's blaming herself for not being able to save you," she shouted viciously then lowered her voice to a dangerous, calm tone, "But you and I, we know better than that, don't we, Lex?"
She released the pressure just enough to keep him from passing out. Lex wasn't sure he could have struggled if he wanted to and Lois' words were penetrating a part of him he thought long buried.
"You failed her, Lex. You failed as a husband and you failed as her friend," she stated coldly. "You are the reason she left everything behind and ran away. You drove her to do something Chloe Sullivan would never have done. You made her give up."
With that, she gave one last hard shove to his throat before releasing him from her hold and retreating halfway across the room.
"Now get your filthy ass up off my floor and get the fuck out of here," she commanded.
Lex coughed harshly as he sat up, struggling to regain his equilibrium. He could feel blood trickling from his nose that still flared with pain and his shin was throbbing dully. Worst of all though were Lois' words that reverberated through his mind as he stood facing her.
He took a harsh, shuddering breath through his mouth, preparing to say something, but he never got the chance.
"Get out," she repeated pointing to the open apartment door. The chain was dangling uselessly on its edge. "And don't ever show your fucking face here again."
His face hurt too much to sneer and his body wasn't in any shape for another round at the moment, so Lex did the only thing he could do. He left the apartment in silence, planning to get his people on Lois' tail.
The apartment door closed with a bang behind him and he actually winced when the jarring sound shot another flash of pain through his nose. That damn viper might not want to tell him where his wife was, but she would lead him to her anyway. Lex was sure of that.