FIFTEEN- HOME

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I probably forgot to mention that Maria was a very dramatic woman and that her son always hid behind her skirt. Ashton was like a young boy still under his mother’s protection, waiting for his mommy to speak for him. Even during the good times of our marriage, he did defend me, but sometimes I could see that he would rather pick his mother’s absurd point of view. Hence, I tried all I could to avoid bumping heads with her.

Yet once more, here was Maria Stetson, hurling insults at me and tossing out my luggage while Ashton stood by the door with his hands in the pockets of his shorts. I moved toward my suitcase, which was lying on the ground with clothes pooling out of it. I watched Maria in disbelief as she walked out of the house once more with another suitcase and threw it to my feet.

“Florence, bring this ratchet whore’s belongings and dump them here!” She yelled out and blew hair out of her face.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked her as I looked at the pile of clothes and looked up at her. “This is my house as much as it is Ashton’s.”

“You’re just a thieving wanton that managed to trick my poor innocent son.”

I laughed. “Innocent? Your son is far from innocent, as a woman you should be wiser and admit that you raised a coward and cheater. Your son spat on our marriage.”

“So what? He saw your worth and decided to move to someone befitting. You could never be enough, not in a million years. Your kind is supposed to be serving at his feet, not beside him.” She pointed her finger at me and threw her insults effortlessly at me, and I knew that she had wanted to do that for a long time.

“Maria, do you honestly think I’ll just let you chase me out of my house?” I tilted my head when she nodded and looked over to her silent son. “You are so pathetic, I wish I had seen this earlier before I married you.”

Florence walks out of the house with more of my things and sets them where the rest of my belongings are on the ground. She looks up at me and gives me her signature pitiful look. The urge to slap that look off her face was overwhelming but I simply clenched my hands.

“Move out of the way and let me enter my house,” I told Maria seriously. “You don’t want me to involve the police.”

“Try your best, you think the police in this city will dare go against a Stetson?” She mockingly mused and I rolled my eyes.

“This is so unnecessary and ridiculous.”

“You better get your trash and leave right now. You won’t get anything else from my son other than a divorce.” Ashton’s mother spoke once more and I ignored her, bent down to properly pack my things and stood straight after I was done.

“You are terribly wrong.” I turn my stare to Ashton. “I’ll see you in court and you best believe I am not walking out with scraps.” I dragged my suitcases to my car and was about to put them in the car when Maria spoke once more.

“Why are you getting the car?”

“Um…actually Mom, she bought that car with her own money,” Ashton spoke up for the first time and his mother looked back at him before looking back at me. at least her face showed a bit of shame.

Silently, I rounded my car and got into the driver’s seat after putting my bags. I had no energy to entertain Maria, and if she wanted me out of the house I would let her feel like she won for now. It hurt to leave the house that I had considered my home, and that too without putting up much of a fight but my annoyance with the situation was slowly growing, and after my day at work, I wanted nothing more than to rest.

I hated the fact that I had to find a place to stay, especially since I knew that Ashton would not even spend the night at the house but go to Dorothy’s apartment. Maybe this was for the best, I could live somewhere else during the divorce.

My first thought was Stetson Hotel but that did not seem favourable the more I thought of it. My only other option was to find an apartment but I was not going to find one so late at night. I opted to do the second option, calling Ridley. After calling him three times, I was about to give up when he answered the fourth call.

“You just saw me an hour ago. Do you miss me already?” His obnoxious voice sounded through the speakers of my car and I rolled my eyes, something I had been doing often over the last few weeks.

“I wish I was calling for something as nonsensical as that as well,” I sighed before swerving past another car. “I need an apartment, like right now,” I told him, trying to relay the urgency.

“It’s pretty late to be apartment hunting, don’t you think?”

“I know that, you idiot. Maria chased me out of the house and I was not in the mood to argue with her and her idiotic son.”

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds before Ridley spoke once more. “Let me check with a few contacts, but this is kind of short notice, Janelle. I don’t think we’ll be able to find anything.”

“Hey, you convinced me to do this, you better find me a place to stay.” I countered and slowed down when I realised that I was rushing to nowhere.

“Okay, why don’t you just stay at my place while I look for a new place for you.”

I hesitated and thought of the complications of living with Ridley. “Er…I’m not so sure, Rid—”

He cut me off. “Don’t think too much about it. My place is huge and it’ll be like I’m not there and besides its only for two or three days until I find a new place for you.” He persuaded. I thought of the other options I had, which were nothing and sighed.

“Okay, send your address.”

“Sent,” He responded after a few seconds and the ding of a new text message confirmed it. I quickly put in the address and turned the car when I realised that to get to his place, I had to turn at one of the intersections I passed.

“I’ll be there soon. You better not have a woman in there.”

“Ew Janie, I don’t shit where I eat.”

I withheld from voicing how I truly felt about his response and cut the call. Ridley’s apartment was close to Stetson Hotel, not a walking distance kind of close but close enough. The building stood tall, and its extravagance inside definitely suited Ridley. I asked the doorman where Ridley’s apartment was because he was the first person I saw, and the reception was empty.

“I’m sorry ma’am, Mr Stetson has strict orders about people going up.” He replied quickly like he had done this before numerous times.

“Oh no, I’m his sister-in-law.”

He looked at me and did not look the tiniest bit convinced. “Ma’am, you can’t go up, even if you’re his grandmother.” He quipped sarcastically and I glared at him.

The universe surely got a rise from frustrating me. I got my phone from my purse and called Ridley; I was in no mood to tolerate his rude doorman. He answered on the third ring and I explained what was going on before putting him on loudspeaker.

“Thomas, you can let her up. She is my sister-in-law.”

Thomas, the doorman listened intently before looking up at me. “Sure sir.” He replied instantly and bowed at me. “I am sorry, ma’am. I was just following orders.”

I rolled my eyes and gave him the keys to my car. “You did not have to be sarcastic to follow orders. Bring the bags in the car up.” I was about to sidestep him and get on the elevator when I remembered that he had not told me the number of the apartment.

“What is the number of the apartment?” I turn back to him.

“It’s the penthouse.” He replies and I nod.

When I got to the highest floor, I walked down the modernly decorated hallway and rang the bell to Ridley’s penthouse. He opened the door a few seconds later, still wearing a suit except his dress shirt was no longer tucked in, the tie was missing and he had on some house shoes. He smiled at me and went in for a hug and I pushed him away.

“You’re an estranged daughter-in-law, you need the hug.”

“Keep your hands to yourself, Stetson.” I pushed him out of the way and entered the apartment.

It was beautiful, and luxurious, not that I expected any less from Ridley or any other Stetson. I had lived in this world for more than two years and I still could not grasp the beauty of being rich and living in spaces that looked like pictures off P*******t. The expanse of the room was mostly decorated in black and the furniture was varnished wood and leather. I looked up at the huge flatscreen TV, it just screamed ‘Ridley’ as well.

“Nice, right?” He asked proudly beside me and I nodded before I spotted his suit jacket lying on the floor next to the large couch and shook my head. I had imagined that he was messy, maybe I was right and this was the tell-tale sign to bolt for it.

“My room?” I asked him and he nodded before instructing me to follow him. He inadvertently started giving me a tour around the entire place, showed me the kitchen, study, the pool among other rooms before he stopped in front of the door and said it was my room.

It was like any guest room, plain and desolate of any personalized things but it was big and the bathroom was lovely. I looked back at him after checking out the entire room. “This will do.”

He smiled. “How exciting, the last time I had a roommate was at university. We are going to have so much fun! Did I show you the wine cellar?” He started rumbling excitedly and I wondered if he came with an off button.  Thankfully, the sound of the doorbell put an end to his excited banter.

“That must be my luggage,”