Chapter Nine: Sometimes the Truth Hurts
Courtney pulled out of Jason's arms and looked at the origin of the voice. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, "AJ? What are you doing here?"
AJ snorted sarcastically, "I think I should be asking that to you. What are you doing here hugging my brother, the hitman?"
Courtney felt the anger rising in her as her husband interrogated her. Shaking her head, she threw back, "You have no right to talk about Jason like that!"
AJ rolled his eyes and looked at Jason, "What is it, Jase? You couldn't stand that Sonny's sister went for his enemy instead of his goon? You can't stand that she loves me and not you? So you decide to go after a girl you hardly even know just to prove to everyone you're better than me and you can get her?"
"That is enough!" Courtney stepped in between the brothers as she saw Jason's eyes turn to ice. Looking at AJ, she shook her head, "I can't believe that you would say such a thing, AJ! Jason and I have known each other since we were teenagers! You have no right to talk to him like that!"
Jason watched in amazement as Courtney stood up for herself and him at the same time. This was a different Courtney than he knew when he was younger. He felt his heart swell even more with love for this girl in front of him.
AJ stared at his wife, "Why are you sticking up for him? I'm your husband!"
Courtney nodded, "Thank-you Captain Obvious! Yes! You are my husband! But if I was putting down. oh, let me say. Skye! Then you wouldn't be happy, now would you?"
AJ shook his head, "No." He had been defeated. Suddenly finding this new Courtney intriguing, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her towards him. Whispering huskily in her ear, he said, "I'll meet you home in a couple minutes, say?"
Courtney gasped at the bulge in his pants she felt against her. She winced slightly, knowing that AJ was not the one who captured her heart. Pulling away from him, she shook her head, "I'm sorry, AJ. Not now; I'm too upset with you."
AJ's features darkened, "Fine! You know what, Courtney? I let you finish with this business you have with my brother. Should I call it business? I should, because you're sure as hell acting like a whore!"
Before Courtney could do or say anything, Jason hit AJ square across the nose. He didn't want to hear anyone treat Courtney like that. He watched as AJ fell to the ground in a slump whimpering slightly from his broken nose. Shaking his head in rage, Jason told him, "You don't talk to Courtney like that ever again! You call yourself her husband! Who the hell do you think you are? Courtney is a sweet, lovable person who deserves a hell of a lot better than you!"
AJ found his voice and standing up, he faced Jason, "Like you? St. Jason! The golden boy! You get everything you ever wanted! You're not even a Quartermaine and Monica loves you more than she does me!" Suddenly, he felt a white hot burn strike the side of his cheek. Surprised, he turned to see Courtney angrily returning her hand to her side after slapping him.
"How dare you?! You can't love me! You called me whore! What kind of husband calls his wife a whore?!" Courtney pushed back her tears and tried to remain strong.
AJ laughed skeptically, "How dare you even call me your husband!"
"What?" Courtney asked in confusion.
AJ rolled his eyes, "Don't play dumb with me, Courtney! How long have you been sexing my brother? Last night, a week, a month, maybe two?"
Courtney looked away from AJ to control her anger and then turned back to him with fire blazing in her eyes, "I don't know what to say. What's the sudden change, AJ? It's like all of sudden you decide you don't love me anymore! It's like someone turned the switch off! What happened to my husband? The one that loved me and respected me? What happened to him, AJ?"
"The husband that loved you? Ha! That was an act! How could I ever love anyone connected to Sonny Corinthos? The man that stole my son away from me with the help of his goon! I married you, Courtney, to get to Sonny. I married you because I wanted my son back and I would do anything to get him back. The night of our wedding, I gave Sonny the ultimatum, you for Michael. I guess Sonny didn't love you enough to give up a son that wasn't even his!" AJ sneered, knowing that what he was saying was going to cost him, but he had said it anyway.
Jason started at AJ, ready to kick AJ's butt, but stopped when he felt Courtney's hand on his shoulder. Turning, he looked at her tear stained face asking silently why she had stopped him.
Courtney shook her head and turned back to AJ, "Why. why didn't you divorce me?"
AJ shrugged, knowing that he could say anything now that Courtney was controlling Jason, "I thought I could get something out of it. And I do mean something."
Courtney gasped in horror. Retreating back she felt like the whole world had come crashing down on her. Tears blurring her vision, she hissed through her teeth, "You bastard! How dare you!"
"Little did I know that I could get a whole lot more too. See, Courtney, all those late night meetings, there weren't any. at least, not for work. I met with someone. someone that you might like to hear too, Jase. While I was married and sleeping with Courtney, I was also sleeping with Elizabeth Webber." Smirking at the look on Jason and Courtney's face, AJ continued, "Yeah, that's right. The only exception is that I have real feelings for Elizabeth and she does with me. We started off with ulterior motives, she wanted to get back at Jason for not making her his first priority and I. well. I just needed something that Courtney wasn't giving to me." AJ finished, thoroughly satisfied with himself.
Courtney couldn't say anything. She felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped on her head. Her stomach felt queasy and the world around her started to spin. Grabbing onto Jason for support, she steadied herself. Wiping away the tears, she looked at AJ, "I want a divorce. I don't want to be married to you any longer than I have to be."
AJ shrugged, "That's fine by me, sweetie. Just give my lawyer a call." Turning around, he began to walk away, "Oh yeah. And, I'll have all your stuff waiting in the hall of our apartment. You'll have to find some place else to live." He chuckled evilly as he stalked away.
Courtney felt the grief overtake her, and she hung her head in defeat. She didn't love AJ, but she was fond of him. She thought that he loved her. How could she be tricked into a marriage with him? How could she have trusted him like she did? Turning to Jason, she whispered tearfully, "You were right. The marriage was a sham!"
Jason looked at her tearful face and felt a knife twist into his stomach. He hated to see her in so much pain. Guiding her into his arms, he comforted her as she cried on his shoulder.
Courtney pulled out of Jason's arms and looked at the origin of the voice. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, "AJ? What are you doing here?"
AJ snorted sarcastically, "I think I should be asking that to you. What are you doing here hugging my brother, the hitman?"
Courtney felt the anger rising in her as her husband interrogated her. Shaking her head, she threw back, "You have no right to talk about Jason like that!"
AJ rolled his eyes and looked at Jason, "What is it, Jase? You couldn't stand that Sonny's sister went for his enemy instead of his goon? You can't stand that she loves me and not you? So you decide to go after a girl you hardly even know just to prove to everyone you're better than me and you can get her?"
"That is enough!" Courtney stepped in between the brothers as she saw Jason's eyes turn to ice. Looking at AJ, she shook her head, "I can't believe that you would say such a thing, AJ! Jason and I have known each other since we were teenagers! You have no right to talk to him like that!"
Jason watched in amazement as Courtney stood up for herself and him at the same time. This was a different Courtney than he knew when he was younger. He felt his heart swell even more with love for this girl in front of him.
AJ stared at his wife, "Why are you sticking up for him? I'm your husband!"
Courtney nodded, "Thank-you Captain Obvious! Yes! You are my husband! But if I was putting down. oh, let me say. Skye! Then you wouldn't be happy, now would you?"
AJ shook his head, "No." He had been defeated. Suddenly finding this new Courtney intriguing, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her towards him. Whispering huskily in her ear, he said, "I'll meet you home in a couple minutes, say?"
Courtney gasped at the bulge in his pants she felt against her. She winced slightly, knowing that AJ was not the one who captured her heart. Pulling away from him, she shook her head, "I'm sorry, AJ. Not now; I'm too upset with you."
AJ's features darkened, "Fine! You know what, Courtney? I let you finish with this business you have with my brother. Should I call it business? I should, because you're sure as hell acting like a whore!"
Before Courtney could do or say anything, Jason hit AJ square across the nose. He didn't want to hear anyone treat Courtney like that. He watched as AJ fell to the ground in a slump whimpering slightly from his broken nose. Shaking his head in rage, Jason told him, "You don't talk to Courtney like that ever again! You call yourself her husband! Who the hell do you think you are? Courtney is a sweet, lovable person who deserves a hell of a lot better than you!"
AJ found his voice and standing up, he faced Jason, "Like you? St. Jason! The golden boy! You get everything you ever wanted! You're not even a Quartermaine and Monica loves you more than she does me!" Suddenly, he felt a white hot burn strike the side of his cheek. Surprised, he turned to see Courtney angrily returning her hand to her side after slapping him.
"How dare you?! You can't love me! You called me whore! What kind of husband calls his wife a whore?!" Courtney pushed back her tears and tried to remain strong.
AJ laughed skeptically, "How dare you even call me your husband!"
"What?" Courtney asked in confusion.
AJ rolled his eyes, "Don't play dumb with me, Courtney! How long have you been sexing my brother? Last night, a week, a month, maybe two?"
Courtney looked away from AJ to control her anger and then turned back to him with fire blazing in her eyes, "I don't know what to say. What's the sudden change, AJ? It's like all of sudden you decide you don't love me anymore! It's like someone turned the switch off! What happened to my husband? The one that loved me and respected me? What happened to him, AJ?"
"The husband that loved you? Ha! That was an act! How could I ever love anyone connected to Sonny Corinthos? The man that stole my son away from me with the help of his goon! I married you, Courtney, to get to Sonny. I married you because I wanted my son back and I would do anything to get him back. The night of our wedding, I gave Sonny the ultimatum, you for Michael. I guess Sonny didn't love you enough to give up a son that wasn't even his!" AJ sneered, knowing that what he was saying was going to cost him, but he had said it anyway.
Jason started at AJ, ready to kick AJ's butt, but stopped when he felt Courtney's hand on his shoulder. Turning, he looked at her tear stained face asking silently why she had stopped him.
Courtney shook her head and turned back to AJ, "Why. why didn't you divorce me?"
AJ shrugged, knowing that he could say anything now that Courtney was controlling Jason, "I thought I could get something out of it. And I do mean something."
Courtney gasped in horror. Retreating back she felt like the whole world had come crashing down on her. Tears blurring her vision, she hissed through her teeth, "You bastard! How dare you!"
"Little did I know that I could get a whole lot more too. See, Courtney, all those late night meetings, there weren't any. at least, not for work. I met with someone. someone that you might like to hear too, Jase. While I was married and sleeping with Courtney, I was also sleeping with Elizabeth Webber." Smirking at the look on Jason and Courtney's face, AJ continued, "Yeah, that's right. The only exception is that I have real feelings for Elizabeth and she does with me. We started off with ulterior motives, she wanted to get back at Jason for not making her his first priority and I. well. I just needed something that Courtney wasn't giving to me." AJ finished, thoroughly satisfied with himself.
Courtney couldn't say anything. She felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped on her head. Her stomach felt queasy and the world around her started to spin. Grabbing onto Jason for support, she steadied herself. Wiping away the tears, she looked at AJ, "I want a divorce. I don't want to be married to you any longer than I have to be."
AJ shrugged, "That's fine by me, sweetie. Just give my lawyer a call." Turning around, he began to walk away, "Oh yeah. And, I'll have all your stuff waiting in the hall of our apartment. You'll have to find some place else to live." He chuckled evilly as he stalked away.
Courtney felt the grief overtake her, and she hung her head in defeat. She didn't love AJ, but she was fond of him. She thought that he loved her. How could she be tricked into a marriage with him? How could she have trusted him like she did? Turning to Jason, she whispered tearfully, "You were right. The marriage was a sham!"
Jason looked at her tearful face and felt a knife twist into his stomach. He hated to see her in so much pain. Guiding her into his arms, he comforted her as she cried on his shoulder.