Tennessee Line to LA Lights (A Matthew Gray Gubler FanFiction)

Chapter 4

She held the tears at bay until the quiet thunk of the door closing shut echoed throughout the enclosed space of her car. The dam broke and the sobbing wracked her body. She didn't fault him for feeling the way he did, if anything, she understood exactly why he was keeping her away. She had been selfish. She had been stupid. She had hurt the one person in her life she never had any intention of hurting. How could she have let this happen? It was simple, it had been pride and stubbornness. She had been so focused on hurting her mother. So focused on running away with Dustin that she hadn't even thought about what it might do to the people that she was actually leaving behind.

Through the uncontrolled crying, she could make out the light tinging of her cell phone. She sniffled, wiped at her eyes and dug into her purse. "Hello," She croaked out.

"Mrs. Wright, this is Roger, your lawyer with Douglas, Freeman and Adamson. I'm calling to inform you that your husband, Dustin Wright, has posted bail and subsequently left Nashville. The police have of course been notified and his assets have been frozen. Unfortunately, he withdrew a substantial amount of money from your joint account. He is currently in the wind and we have also advised the LAPD to keep him on their watch list."

The crying had ceased, "Thank you for letting me know. I very much doubt that Dustin will seek to harm me in any way, but he doesn't like it when he doesn't get his own way. Did he happen to return the divorce papers."

The lawyer on the other end of phone hummed and Stephanie rolled her eyes, "Let me guess, he returned them unsigned with a note that says 'Fuck You?'"

"As a matter of fact that is exactly how he returned them."

"Well, I guess when he is caught and picked up for jumping bail, we can worry about getting them signed." Stephanie sighed, this wasn't exactly what she wanted to deal with right now.

"Yes Mrs. Wright. We will keep working on it and I will keep you informed if anything in the situation changes."

"I appreciate that very much Roger, thank you." Stephanie hung up the phone and glanced out the car window at the lights glowing from Matthew's house. Her shoulders slumped forward a little and she reached for the ignition, turning the key, bringing her car to life.

"So, how was Las Vegas?" Adrienne set a cup of coffee down on the desk near Stephanie's hand.

Stephanie shrugged her shoulders, "Not quite the weekend I had been expecting."

"Oh, please elaborate."

"I saw Matthew." Stephanie's voice was quiet when she muttered his name.

Adrienne plopped down in the chair across from her friend, "What do you mean you saw Matthew?"

"I drove by his old house. Remember, I told you that we had grown up together. He lived around the corner from me. So when I was driving to my mom's house, I went right by his childhood home. His car was parked in the driveway."

"So you thought it would be a good idea to just march up to his front door and knock?" Adrienne leaned forward, her elbows resting on the desk before her.

Stephanie nodded, "Well, I went to see my mom first and it was after dinner, after she told me what my leaving had done to him, that was when I thought it would be a good idea to go and see him. I'm not sure what I was thinking. I guess, well, I guess I thought that I could explain my side."

"Oh sweetie," Adrienne's eyes were sympathetic. "What did he say?"

"That he didn't want to see me," A single tear rolled down Stephanie's cheek. "He said he didn't want to hear my side, that it wouldn't make any difference. Adrienne, I broke him. I broke the boy I used to be so in love with."