Seth kept staring at the door while his lawyer David Otunga sat next to him. They were waiting for Genetta to show up.
"I'm warning you, she'll put up a fight," David said.
"They weren't married," Seth said.
"It doesn't matter. Your father's testament is bullet proof. She has to give her half to you in order for you to actually get your hands on it," David said. "If she says no, we can take her to court and bleed her dry until she has nothing left. She'll either give up and cut a deal with you or she'll be broke and there will be nothing left for you to collect."
"I don't care," Seth said. "Do what you must."
The door opened and Genetta stepped inside. Seth took a moment looking at her. Her light brown hair had gotten several grey strands but she still looked good in his eyes. He would never admit to that, of course. She would never know how conflicted he felt inside. He wanted to hurt her and hug her at the same time.
"Hello, Seth," Genetta said.
Her grass green eyes were settled on him while she sat down across from him. He didn't greet her back. He just kept staring at her until David cleared his throat.
"When will your lawyer arrive?" David asked.
"I don't have one," Genetta said.
Seth raised his eyebrows at that. He thought she would have hired someone to fight her battle for her. This was going to be too easy if she didn't have someone who knew their way around the legal system to stand up for her. She was smart but she wasn't lawyer smart. Neither was he which was why he had hired David to do all the work for him.
"Let's get started then," David said. "We're here to talk about..."
"I want my money," Seth interrupted.
"Your money?" Genetta asked.
"And the house," Seth said. "I'll be fair and let you live there the rest of the month while you find somewhere else to live."
"Seth," David said warningly.
Seth chose to ignore David and continued. He had worked himself up and had a hard time calming down. He had been angry for so long when it came to Genetta, and now he was letting it all out. He pushed the papers that signed everything over to him towards her.
"It's not fair half of it goes to a street rat my father took in and polished a bit. I don't understand why he stayed with you. He always complained about how boring in bed you were. You never initiated anything and you were just lying there like a dead fish," Seth said.
Genetta just sat there and took every hard word Seth spat at her which didn't help him one bit. He wanted to see some sort of emotions. He wanted to know that somewhere deep inside she did care about something. That she did care about him.
"Did you ever love him?" Seth asked.
Genetta sighed and looked over at David.
"Can I speak to Seth alone for a moment?" Genetta asked.
"I don't recommend it but it's up to Seth," David said.
Seth nodded and David got up and left them alone in his office. It took a few seconds before she finally opened her mouth.
"It's true he found me on the street. I had been attacked that night. Some women thought it was funny to rough me up and steal my coat. It was such a cold Winter night and I was only wearing a t-shirt underneath. I was a shivering mess when your father found me. I was so cold that when he asked me to come with him, I figured if I died that night, at least I would die in a warm car. I was sick for days but he took care of me," she said.
Seth nodded. He had heard that story before from his father. Back in the days when everything was going great and he still liked her. Before everything went to shit.
"He convinced me to stay. I helped around the house and ran errands, and he paid me. I loved him like a father," she said.
She moved her hand a bit forward and then decided against it. It was clear to him that she wanted to reach over and grab his hand, but she knew her touch wouldn't be welcomed.
"I used to have a crush on you," she said.
"What?" He asked.
"I did," she smiled sadly. "You always came out to talk to me, and I loved all those moments we had back then."
She shook her head no and let out another sigh.
"Two years in he came home drunk one night and he raped me. That was the moment my love for him died. I was so confused that night. The man I saw as a father figure had just hurt me in the worst possible way. Next morning he acted as if we had started a relationship. I didn't know what to do so I just stayed. What were my options? Him or the streets. At least I had a roof over my head and food everyday. The things he told you is because of what he did. I was a dead fish in bed because I never wanted to be in bed with him," she said. "You started being cruel when you came around. I tried avoiding you but you always found me. Sometimes it seemed like you saw it as a scavenger hunt to find me just so you could hurt me with your words."
He didn't know what to say. He had loved his father but he also knew his father was a very difficult man to get along with sometimes. She wasn't the first woman to claim his father had done something like that, but money always talked with everyone trying to lash out. She was the only woman that had been in a relationship with his father though and he had never questioned her about it. In his mind it was a straight up classic case of a gold digger making his father fall in love just so she could get his money and estate. Her version today was nothing like the version he had built up in his head over the years.
"And still that crush on you didn't completely vanish," she said.
He parted his lips but no words came out. He had hurt her for so long and he never knew she still deep down cared about him despite it all. He had been cruel and she had taken it all without ever pushing back.
"It died today in this moment," she said.
"Genetta," he whispered.
"I don't want any of this," she said.
She grabbed the papers and signed them without even reading them through. She signed over everything his father left her without putting up a fight.
"I already packed what I could have in my car. That car is in my name so you can't have it. He gave it to me before he raped me. I can live in that car for a while," she said.
She pushed the papers back to him so he could sign them too. He stared at her signature and felt his heart tighten in his chest.
"Enjoy your life, Seth," she said.
He looked up and saw she was already over by the door. He wanted to stop her but his words had abandoned him. He sat glued to the chair and watched her open the door and walk out of the office. David came in two seconds later with raised eyebrows.
"What happened?" David asked.
"She signed the papers," Seth said.
"Really? Wow, that was easy. That's good news, Seth," David said. "Sign them too and everything is legally yours."
David picked up the pen on the table and held it towards Seth. Seth took the pen and once again stared at Genetta's signature. It should be easy. He had gotten exactly what he asked for, yet everything had changed within minutes. Everything he thought he knew was a lie. He had been cruel while she had suffered in silence, and she still chose to give him everything he wanted without caring about herself.
