Chapter 2

Wednesday morning dawned bright and sunny, cheerful even. Before Claire had the chance to take it all in and appreciate the brilliant blue skies, she was painfully reminded that no matter how perfect the day appeared outside her window, it was far from it in her life. Her back screamed out with pain and her stomach was blazing hot even before she fully opened her eyes. The pain was accompanied by a reminder that today would be a day that would change her world forever.

Opening her eyes slowly to peer at the bedside clock Claire had to bite her lip against the pain as she slowly swung her feet to the floor and pushed herself out of the bed. In the bathroom she showered quickly under a cold stream of water and only looked in the mirror as she softly toweled her body dry. The bruises that she bore were the worst she had ever worn, wrapping from her navel around her sides and across her back. They would eventually fade she knew, and soon enough no one would ever see the evidence that Logan was a monster. It wasn't the bruises that had Claire's eyes stinging with tears though, it was the image of the spatula, burned into her skin. The doctors had said the wound would heal and that the scar from it would fade a bit, but never go away completely. It would be a lasting reminder to her of what her husband, the man who had sworn to love her forever, had done to her, and what no man would ever do to her again.

Dressed in lightweight and casual clothes, Claire headed downstairs and found her mom in the kitchen waiting on her with a hot plate of breakfast. Claire took a seat at the table and drank from a tall glass of orange juice before saying good morning to her mother.

"Good morning yourself dear, did you sleep well last night," Darcy replied.

"Yeah, the pain medicine really helped with the pain and helped me to sleep better I think. I woke up aching though," Claire said. She had also woken up angry at herself for dealing with Logan and the hell he had put her through. She knew at some level that it wasn't her fault but it was hard to let all of his words and hate go, to just brush them off and act like they had never been said. It was hard to not believe the things that she had been told year after year as well, but she knew that in time she would be able to find the person that she had once been.

Sighing deeply, feeling the weight of her daughter's pain, Darcy stood and gathered her breakfast plate and her glass and walked over to place them into the sink. "Well I guess that is good at least. You need your rest through all of this. I'm going to run up to the bedroom and change shoes and get my purse then we can head out. Your appointment is in a half hour."

"Alright mom, I'll be right here waiting."

Ten minutes later the two were in the car and headed down the highway toward the lawyers office. When they were almost there Darcy reached out to take Claire's hand. "I want you to know Claire, I am so proud of you and the strength that you showed by coming to me, by standing up and taking back control of your life. I know that we don't think much of divorce but I definitely believe that in some circumstances it is okay. I would rather have a divorced child than a dead one."

"I know that you understand mom, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn't worried about what Mam and Pa will think of this. I tell myself that they will understand too, see it the way that you do, but then I remember that they are old Irish and don't believe in divorce for any reason at all. I don't want to disappoint them mom."

As she parked the car and took the keys out of the ignition, Darcy turned to face her daughter. "Sweetheart they love you dearly and they will be as supportive as I am in this. They wouldn't want you living the way that you have been for so long. They will be okay with your decision."

Claire nodded and then climbed out of the car, followed closely by her mother and headed in to the lawyer's office. Inside Claire signed in and then took a seat in a plush tan colored chair to wait on the lawyer to come call for her. Within ten minutes she and her mother were being led to a corner office at the end of a long hallway.

The office was actually friendly looking, with its cream colored walls and the large, plush sage green chairs. The desk was large but not overwhelming, and the lady who sat on the other side of the desk seemed to fit the room perfectly. She had a soft smile as she stood to greet Claire and Darcy, shaking their hands briefly before taking her seat again.

"Hello, I'm Victoria Brewer, it's a pleasure to meet you even though the circumstances leave something to be desired for you I'm sure." Looking down at the thin file on her desk she continued, "So, you two are mother and daughter I see. I guess you hear all the time that you wouldn't be able to tell that by looking at you, huh?"

Claire looked over at her dark haired blue eyed mother, thinking not for the first time that she looked like Snow White, and smiled. Claire couldn't have looked any different from her mother if she tried, with her long coppery red curls and cat green eyes, the covering of freckles that ran across her face. Victoria was right, they got that reaction all of the time.

After a bit more small talk Victoria Brewer cleared her throat and said, "Well now, let's get to the reason that you're here. I understand that you want to file for a divorce from your husband, correct Claire?" When Claire nodded silently Victoria continued. "I want to go over some things with you before we get any further into this, and I want you to know that I am on your side and will always be up front and honest with you about the case. The state of Louisiana has very direct laws about divorce. Sometimes however, there are certain circumstances that will over ride the laws that are in place. It's my job to determine if you are in a situation that will allow us to bypass the laws and begin the divorce proceedings immediately. I am going to have to ask you some questions to be able to do that and they may be difficult to answer, but it's imperative that you answer truthfully."

"I can do that, no problem. What if I don't meet the criteria, what would that mean for the divorce?"

"If three out of the ten pieces of criteria are not met then that would mean you would have to go through the steps according to the Louisiana laws governing divorce. Basically you would have to see a marriage counselor together for a six month period, and if at that time you still felt that divorce was your only option you would have to file for a legal separation, and live that way for a one year period while still undergoing marriage counseling before being able to file for a divorce."

"I don't want that Mrs. Brewer, I want out of this marriage, and I want to be Claire Ryan again. Ask me your questions, please."

With a nod Victoria said, "Okay, for starters I need you to tell me how long you and Logan were married, and if you have lived the entire time in the state of Louisiana." As Claire answered and Victoria scribbled the answers in her notepad Claire fidgeted with her hands. Her nerves were a mess, but she vowed to get through this no matter what. "Alright then Claire, to the best of your knowledge, was there any infidelity on either end of the relationship?"

Claire gave a short laugh as she said, "Logan is a professional football player who is on the road the better part of the year. He enjoys sex, and I highly doubt that he goes without too often. Can I tell you with one hundred percent certainty that he was unfaithful, no, but I can tell you I would bet my life on the fact that he was."

"Okay then, next question. Do you feel that there has been any form of abandonment on either end of the relationship?"

"Does emotional abandonment count on that one?" Victoria nodded that yes it did, so Claire said, "I would say that yes, emotionally I was abandoned by Logan. He couldn't have cared less about how I felt about anything."

More scribbling and then, "Was there ever at any point, on either end of the relationship, any form of abuse? That can include, mental, emotional, sexual, or physical. Typically when one is present, there are other types there as well."

"Abuse, huh. Did the American heartthrob and perfect husband ever abuse me?" Claire stood and pulled her shirt up and slowly turned in a circle. When she was once again facing Victoria she pulled the bandage back to reveal the burned flesh below. "How's that for an honest answer Mrs. Brewer?"

As Claire took her seat once again Victoria sat back in her chair. "Can I assume that you have filed a police report and applied for a temporary restraining order Claire?" When Claire and Darcy nodded in unison Victoria smiled. "Well then it looks like we will be beginning the paperwork today then. Now Claire, you mentioned that Logan was a professional athlete, did the two of you sign a pre nuptial agreement when you were married?"

"No ma'am we didn't. In all honesty I don't want his money out of this mess; I just want to be free."

With a sympathetic and understanding smile Victoria set about gathering all the information that she would need to get the divorce papers drawn up. Two days later, on a sunny Friday afternoon, Claire was back in the office signing the finalized forms that would severe her disastrous marriage and give her back her maiden name. Monday morning would be when Logan was served with the papers and learn of the divorce, the day after the super bowl. He was going to be extremely pissed off and Claire had a feeling that the nightmare was just beginning.