The Landlord

Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Two hours in a diner with August landed us a written agreement and a hefty to-do list for me.

First thing on that list: visit his wife and tell her everything.

Second: tell Matt everything. He would definitely use my confession against me in our custody dispute.

Third: I needed to end the restraining order and withdraw all my complaints I filed with the police. Surprisingly, that was the extent of what I needed to do with the cops; the man wasn't requiring me to turn myself in. Instead of taking me to court, he would quietly accept the money back that I sued from him (which Matt would surely pay once he learns the truth).

All of this was added in the agreement August wrote out in a large notebook. Basically, it would be reviewed by both our lawyers, verifying that I confessed and agreed to these terms. Which I understood. It's not like he could just trust my word. Regardless, the entire process was quite civil and cooperative. We covered each point, discussed the terms, and he wrote them down.

I was sideways in the booth with my legs stretched out, sipping my third iced tea. He was finishing the document up when I remembered something. "Oh, you forgot to add the pictures we have of you stalking me. You'll want possession of that file."

"Oh that's right. Your dad can bring that to me when we meet in a few days," he said, adding it with his pen. "Anything else you can think of?"

"Not really, I think that's it."

He flipped the page and continued writing. "Then I just need to add a few last statements. I know it's taking a while, but I'm almost done."

"Pshhh, take your time. I'm talking to your wife after we leave here, so any reason to delay is fine by me."

He paused and met my eyes. "You know, I never understood that."

"What?"

"I never understood what your deal was with my wife." He set his pen down and stretched his stiff back. "Every time you saw her in court, or every time she spoke, you would crumble. The little sympathy you had went to her."

His recollection was true. His wife (along with his daughter) were my weak spot. Yes, during the suing, I felt awful dragging August down, but his family suffering... that was a whole other level of guilt. Seeing them made me sick and often I would start to cry. I mean I painted a false and ugly picture of August coming onto me, and it broke her heart and destroyed their family. Honestly, I was dreading confessing to her more than anyone else. I was going to be more of a crying mess talking to her than I was last night.

The subject alone brought tears to my eyes and I looked away. "You know... I saw them not that long ago. I was at this Italian place having lunch with my sister and saw them there. It just ripped me apart. It killed me that I did that to your family. You don't have to believe me, but it did." Blinking away the tears, I met his eyes. "I think it's appropriate that I will be losing my family because I made you lose yours. I promise I am going to do my best to bring them back to you – but damn, I am not looking forward to it, I already feel sick to my stomach," I said with a weak chuckle.

For once, my claims of regret didn't seem to annoy him. "Don't you already feel some relief though? It's all going to be done and over soon."

Knowing that did dissolve some grief, but the anticipation tied my stomach in knots. "There is a relief... but not much yet." Maybe I would feel better once I start my lengthy to-do list.

However, that wasn't the case.

After leaving and parting ways, I dropped the pieces and they landed where my karma demanded them: with a focused and heated backlash. To say the least, I was a crying mess the whole day. I was a mess with his ex; I was a mess with my ex. The woman broke down into a bigger sob than me, but she at least thanked me for being honest and coming forward. Matt just ripped me a new asshole.