Read an Excerpt
Torn 2: Passion, Pain & Promise
Will Melissa's Pain Gain Her Anything?
By Ella Johnson Trafford Publishing
Copyright © 2016 Ella Johnson
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4907-6151-0
CHAPTER 1
"Our Day in Court"
"I want to remind all of the spectators that there are to be no outburst after the verdict is read. Will both the prosecution and defense please stand?" he instructs.
"I don't know what I feel at this moment. I always knew that I felt like the State of Florida should pay for all of the hurt that was caused to us, but this is the final moment. Whatever happens, I am very proud of Stuart. Look at him. He was once a man on crack and now he is standing in this very courtroom standing toe to toe in a lawsuit against the State of Florida. He is excited to have such a big case. He knows that after this win, he will be able to open up his own firm, and perhaps, give Johnny Cochran a run for his money. And who knows, maybe Amy will leave Johnny and follow Stuart.
After all of the celebrating, we finally leave the courtroom. I look to Heaven and say, "It is finished. Thank you Jesus!"
"In the case #2007-CFS3587441, Kalin A. Thomas versus the State of Florida, we find that the State of Florida is guilty of malicious intent to cause harm to Mr. Thomas. As a result of this guilty verdict, we find that Mr. Thomas should be awarded punitive damages of $3 million", he says, before being interrupted by the Judge.
"Order in the court! Order in the court!"
Did I just hear $3 million dollars? Oh God, did I just hear $3 million dollars? Tears begin to flow down my face uncontrollably. I finally lose it! I can no longer hide what has been in my heart for these last 8 years. Each of my children rushes up to me and kiss me. Christy walks up to Kalin and gives him a big hug and says, "Congratulations, daddy!" This is the moment I have dreamt of for so many years and it is finally here! Seeing her grow into a beautiful young woman throughout this entire process and making her very own mark in this world is all I ever wanted. "Honey, we did it! We did it! All the crying, all the waiting, all the stress, all the late nights of sitting in that jail without seeing my wife and children - it is all worth it right now! The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that we shall receive! In Jesus name!"
Kalin raises his arms to heaven and gives God praise right there. I am crying. Stuart is crying. Amy is crying. The people who know us best are crying with us. Cynthia knows more than anyone what this whole ordeal did to me. She never gave up on me. She never stopped believing in me. I am glad that she took the time off to be here, but she is family to me. She is my sister and my dearest friend.
"Melissa, it's over, sweetheart! It's finally over! We talked about this day and look at you. Cry, baby! Get it all out! It is over!" Everyone is congratulating us, when all of a sudden, my cell phone vibrates. The phone reads, "New Text Message". Before clicking on "View", I get this feeling in my stomach that this is Patrick. Even though we have had no communication over the last 5 years, I feel that he is with me. Snap out of it, Melissa! He is not here. This is probably from someone else. As curious as I am about who this text message is from, I don't want to alarm Kalin, especially if this is Patrick. Kalin is distracted with talking with Stuart and I decide to click on "View" to see who it is that is sending me a text message.
"Melissa, I love you. For me, the kiss was not innocent. From the moment I first laid eyes upon you, I have wanted nothing more than to kiss you. I have tried to forget about you. But I can't. And now, I want you. I don't want to live without you. And if you give me this opportunity to love you, you will grow to love me, too. Congratulations on your win. Love, Patrick."
I can't believe this! He must be here! How will he know the verdict if he's not in the courtroom? I look around to see if I can find him, but I don't see him anywhere. I can't believe this!
"Melissa, are you okay?" Kalin asks. He can tell that something is wrong. "Did you get a call?"
"Everything is fine." What an awkward position to be in right now. I'm here with my husband celebrating our victory, and mind you, a victory that everyone said would never happen because, according to them, nobody can win against the State. My three older children are doing well in their careers and the four left at home are doing well and are all college bound. My son is playing in the Super Bowl this weekend. Everything is going just great in my life. After all these years, I finally think about Wendy, who was also in the courtroom today, without her husband. Was she here for Kalin? Are they seeing each other? I can't seem to forget what Kayla said to me before she died. It seems like, perhaps, Kalin has some type of connection with Wendy. Why else would she be here? To think about it, she never really says anything to me. I'm a little confused right now, but I really need to stay focused. I know that it's because of this text from Patrick. As happy and excited as I am about this win, I have to admit that I'm glad that Patrick is here. I miss him and I, too, can't stop thinking about that night we kissed. After all of the celebrating, we finally leave the courtroom. I look to Heaven and say, "It is finished. Thank you Jesus."
Once we make it through the courtroom doors, I look up and right into Patrick's beautiful eyes that have always made me weak. He's standing there and crying, with his cell phone in his hand. Kalin sees this connection and looks at me and I look back at him. We both look at Patrick. Patrick looks into my eyes and senses my confusion. Neither of us can say a word. The way I feel right at this moment makes me wonder if maybe I feel something a little stronger for him. God knows I didn't mean for it to happen. Because he is the gentleman that he is, he says, "Chao for now!" He winks at me and walks away.....
CHAPTER 2
"I Just Want to Know."
"What's wrong with the car? Why won't it start?" I ask Kalin, while he's under the hood of my car. "I have to get to work. What am I going to do if you're not able to fix it?"
"I don't know. I'm not quite sure how to make this piece stay on", he says, holding a part that's dangling from the car.
"I'm going to have to find another way to get downtown. I can't miss this appointment. I just can't."
"Well, why don't you call Cynthia? Maybe she can give you a ride", Kalin suggests.
"I already tried that. She has to take her grandson to his first doctor's appointment today. Don't worry about me. I'm sure I'll get a ride. I know who I can call", I say, walking back into the house.
Dialing my friend's number when I'm in trouble has become too easy. The truth is that I'm actually tired of having to call him to bail me out just because my husband isn't providing as a husband should. Unbeknownst to Kalin, my friends have been doing it for a few months now already. Kalin thinks we're getting by because of these so called "bonuses" that I receive from work. At least my Photoshop skills didn't all go to waste.
"What did you come up with?" Kalin asks. He notices that I'm getting my things out of the car.
"Cynthia called in a rental car for me. I told her that I'd pay her back when we get paid."
"It's funny how you and Cynthia work at the same place, but it seems that she always has money, but you don't", Kalin complains.
"Please don't start with me today. I'm doing the best that I can. It's not my fault that your company went out of business. It is not my fault that the Lawsuit didn't come through like we thought. Our lives have been turned upside down and all we have are each other", I say, starting to get frustrated and annoyed with this conversation.
"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that with things the way they are, I'm just a little stressed", he explains. Why is he so stressed? I'm the one getting up every day to go to work, while my husband stays at home, complaining that nobody wants to give him a break.
"Me and the kids are right here going through it also. So, I understand."
Within 30 minutes or so, Enterprise is pulling into my driveway to pick me up. Ever since I saw their commercial about how they'll pick you up when you rent their car, I haven't used anyone else. It isn't until this very moment that I realize how easy it is for me to leave home without kissing Kalin goodbye. I remember a time when I would never do that.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Thomas. You trying to leave here without giving me some love?" he asks. With only two steps away from him, I reach over and kiss my husband goodbye.
As we are driving away, he waves one final time, drops the hood on the car and heads back into the house. "So, is your car still giving you trouble?" the Enterprise driver asks after turning onto the next street.
"Yeah. I think it's time to just get another car, but, unfortunately, we can't afford it right now. So, until I can, I'll just have to keep renting yours." We both laugh.
In what seems like just a few minutes, we finally arrive at Enterprise and the paperwork is at the front desk awaiting my signature. After getting the vehicle of my choice, I'm finally driving off in a Ford Escape and on my way downtown to my pre-scheduled appointment. Christy must be calling. My cell phone is beeping at me. It's always a rule that they call me after a long trip just to let me know they have arrived. Before I call her back, I also notice that Kalin called a few minutes ago, but he didn't leave a message. Something could be wrong, so I have to call him back. I dial our home number.
"Hello, baby", Kalin says when he picks up the phone.
"Is everything okay?" I ask right away.
"Yes, Mrs. Thomas. Everything is okay. Is there something wrong with me calling my beautiful wife just to tell her how much I love her and miss her?"
"I guess there isn't. Kalin, you scared me half to death calling me like this. Are you sure everything is okay? Did the girls all get off to school okay?"
"Yes, they did. Justice almost forgot her book report", he says, jokingly.
"Now you know I'm not surprised about that at all", I tell him.
Our conversation goes on and on until I make it to the parking garage of the building downtown. I'm surprised that Kalin hasn't asked me about my appointment. I'm sure he assumes that it has something to do with my job. He'd be somewhat surprised if he knew that my appointment is actually with a divorce attorney. I'm not sure if a divorce is what I want or if counseling will be just what Kalin and I need, but, things have to change between us. For almost two years now, he hasn't had a job and I'm struggling to pay all the bills. When the Judge announced his overturning of the court judgment due to new evidence, we were both dumbfounded and things haven't been the same since that day. I admit that getting that lawsuit would have put our family in a more solid financial status, but life must go on.
Making my way through the 10 ft. solid glass doors suddenly sends chills up my spine. I begin to have flashbacks of my life with Kalin. My thoughts run quickly to the first time that our eyes met, the first time we kissed, the first time we made love and the births of our two children together. My life with Kalin has not been all bad. But then, I also start to remember what his ex-wife, Kayla, said to me on her death bed about his connection with Wendy. The most hurtful thing, that Kalin doesn't even know that I know, is the fact that Wendy was actually pregnant with his child, until she aborted the baby. This child was conceived during my marriage to my husband. I don't think that counseling can help me deal with that betrayal. Only God can. I believe the only reason I never questioned him about this betrayal is because of my secret one-night kiss to Patrick and the guilt I felt for having feelings for him.
"Good morning, Mrs. Thomas", the receptionist says, as I approach the reception area.
"Good morning, Lisa. How are you this morning?" I say to her while signing my name.
"I'm wonderful. That's such a beautiful dress you're wearing today", she compliments me.
"Thank you so much. My girls bought this dress for my birthday", I say, walking to the seating area.
"I'll let Mr. Abney know that you're here. So, have a seat and he'll be with you shortly."
"Thanks."
I hope that this divorce attorney is just as good as Stuart says that he is. All I know is that he despises adultery in the marriage and usually goes after everything on those grounds. I wonder if he will call what I did adultery. I mean I didn't sleep with Patrick, but I have definitely spent many nights wishing I had. Should I tell Mr. Abney the truth about that?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Torn 2: Passion, Pain & Promise by Ella Johnson. Copyright © 2016 Ella Johnson. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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