Chapter Thirty-Eight
“What? Mom, are you okay?”
Sniffling, she replies, “Yes, yes darling. I will be fine.”
“What did he do this time, Mom? It must be pretty bad because you’ve never left him before.”
“No Katrina, but I should have. I stayed with him way too long. Honestly, it is not any worse than anything else he has done. He’s cheating on me again.”
“Oh, Mom. Again? What does that mean? He’s done this before? I never knew.”
“Of course you never knew. I didn’t want you to know, to let that scar you. Dealing with those types of adult issues — cheating, divorce — as a child, it fundamentally changes who you are, who you become as an adult. I never wanted that for you Katrina, so I stayed. I’ve been putting up with his catting around off and on throughout our marriage and this time, I’ve had enough. I’ve stayed with him over the years through affair after affair because of you, because I’ve always loved him, and because it would damage his political career if the press ever got wind of his little indiscretions, and trust me they will start digging the second they find out we are separated. On top of his constant belligerence and control issues, now I find out he’s sleeping with his new intern. I’m just finished putting up with his bullshit. I’ve decided life is too short to live it miserable. I hope you’ll understand.”
“Oh Mom, I’m so sorry, and of course I understand. He’s my father and even I had to get away from him. Is there anything I can do? Why don’t you get away from everything up there and come stay with me a while?”
“Thank you, sweetheart, but no. I’m much easier to track than you are. If I came to you, your father would immediately know where you are. He’d just drag you back here. Besides, I’ve already found an attorney and I’m in the process of filing for divorce. The second your dad gets served the papers, the proverbial shit is going to hit the proverbial fan. You know your father; he’ll be out for blood, which means things are about to get extremely messy around here. I don’t want you involved in that in any way.”
“I understand, Mom. Where will you stay?”
“If you don’t mind Katrina, for a short while, I’d like to stay at your apartment. I’ve contacted my realtor and she’s working on finding me a residence at the Ritz Carlton Central Park. She’s checking on penthouses for me. I’ve already filled out the paperwork and necessary applications, now I just have to wait for the right availability. Sally assures me it won’t take long.”
“Of course, Mom. My home is your home, you know that. Why don’t you just keep my place for now? I mean I know it’s not the Ritz, but it’s there and it’s vacant. Eventually, I’m going to have to decide what to do with the place anyway.”
“You’ve got time for that Katrina. Don’t make any rash decisions. Now is not a good time to sell. Wait for the real estate market to come back first. I appreciate the offer to stay there long term, but it’s time for me to make a new home for myself to go along with my new life once this divorce is over, so a few months at most should do it.”
“All right Mom, you let me know if there’s anything you need. And please, pick up a prepaid cell phone and keep in touch with me with that. As long as you don’t give out the number to anyone else, Dad won’t get his hands on it.”
“I will do that, Katrina.”
“Good. I’m sorry you have to go through this alone, Mom. I wish I could be there to help you through it. Maybe…”
“I appreciate it sweetheart, but no. Stay put. I will not allow my baby to be pulled into this mess. I’m a big girl and I can handle this. Please do not think about coming up here. Your father does not handle the loss of what he deems his well, you know that. He also does not do alone well Katrina, which is why now, more than ever, you have to watch yourself. The minute he gets served those divorce papers, he will step up his campaign to find you. He’ll be redoubling his efforts and putting more people on the payroll, mark my words. So you redouble yours to stay hidden. Promise me, Katrina. I fear if finds you, he will send someone to bring you back by force, if you will not go willingly.”
“I promise, Mom. I will stay put for now, but if you need me, I’ll be there. I love you.”
“I love you too, Katrina. I’ll be in touch soon.”
“By prepaid cell, right?”
“Correct. That will be my next stop. Take care honey. Good-bye.”
“Bye, Mom.”
Placing the phone down, Kat walks over to Tony. “I guess you heard all of that, huh?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
“No. Just hold me okay?” Tony answers by wrapping his arms tightly around her and pulling her close against his chest.
“She says she’s having my dad served with divorce papers soon and since he doesn’t do loss or alone well, I should redouble my efforts to stay hidden because he’ll be beefing up his search efforts to find me.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“I’m not really sure right now. I suppose to just keep a low profile as much as possible. I’m trained in martial arts and maybe it’s time to start stockpiling some weapons. Hire some bodyguards? God, I’m starting to feel like a caged animal. The way I did back in New York. Maybe I should just leave and change my name again. Stay on the run. But I don’t want to leave here. Oh hell, I don’t know! I think I’ll sleep on it since I really didn’t get any sleep last night. After some rest, I’ll be able to think more clearly and figure out what my next move should be.”
“I have an idea. Why don’t we call a truce for now and take a rain check on the angry sex, which I can’t believe I’m suggesting right now because I know it will be awesome.” Kat smiles at him and nods in agreement. “Come on, we’ll take Seas the Day out for a few hours. You can relax. We’ll come back and I’ll fix an early dinner. Something light. Maybe some steamed seafood. Shrimp, crab legs, and a salad? After that you can go to bed early, get some sleep.”
“Sounds like a great plan. Thanks Tony, for always seeming to know just what I need. I’ll run upstairs and change.”