Accidentally In Love

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

The first section of the contract went over terms that would occur in the divorce, rounding it up to mean we wouldn't be splitting things up half and half, we would each retain what we had coming into the marriage, typical pre-nup section really talking about protecting each other's assets and such. A smart thing to do, and one we should have obviously thought about to begin with, maybe it would be best to have this down as a written agreement rather than just a verbal one.

The other section in the contract though surprised me to put it lightly.

It stated that the marriage would last no shorter than a year and wouldn't come to an end until both parties agree, which meant that I couldn't approach a divorce lawyer without Christian's permission and vice versa.

"Why would you want Christian and I to remain married for at least a year?"

"Like I said, a short Las Vegas spare-of-the-moment wedding could be detrimental to the both of you, this way the marriage could actually be seen as a legitimate and loving way to spend the rest of your lives with the one you love, only it didn't quite last." Mr Fletcher replied as if the answer was simple.

"And what you agree with this?" I asked turning to Christian, who merely just shrugged and continued to avoid my eyes.

"Christian understands that this will be better for not only himself but for his family and business too." Mr Fletcher spoke for him.

I turned my eyes back to Mr Fletcher. "Really? Because I personally think that all Christian would realise would be that he could no longer go out and sleep with his groupies for the next year."

There was a barking laugh from Oliver across the table but I refused to turn my eyes away from Mr Fletcher.

"Why don't you think about it more logically Serena?" Mr Fletcher said, clearly starting the lecture about me being reasonable. "Christian could go to the lawyers tomorrow and have divorce papers slapped on you by the end of the week. Where would you be then? Broke with nowhere to go, no job and no family or trust fund to support you. However, if you decide to sign the contract then it will give you time to get back to your feet, move on and get everything sorted before your left on your own."

"Oh so your only looking out for my own benefit?" I asked sarcastically.

A small smile twitched at my lips but he held it back. "Of course. A drunken Las Vegas wedding won't exactly look good on your CV either dear."

"And let's not forget that I've already lost everything because of this marriage, you can play nice as much as you want Mr Fletcher but we all know this is about protecting Christian and nothing to do with my own wellbeing."

I softly placed the folder down on the table beside me, I was quickly getting over this conversation; I was not going to stay married to Christian, end of story.

"You know Serena; you're far too cynical for someone so young. Why can't I be trying to protect the both of you? Sure Christian may still have his trust fund and such but as far as I am aware the both of you still have your reputation and dignity. What would people think if they knew the truth? What must they already think, it's no secret you and Christian have long hated each other."

"Oh and everyone would suddenly forget that fact if we stayed married to each other?" I rolled my eyes, this whole conversation was absurd, the situation was how it was and we should deal with it that way instead of trying to cover it up and make it something it clearly isn't.

Mr Fletcher shrugged. "You could spread some story about wanting to keep it a secret because you knew what people's reactions would be. In that way I think we could use your Father's reaction to your advantage."