To play second fiddle- Story- Chapter 3

Julia felt everyone staring at her when she walked to the stand. She felt awkward and felt a little stressed when she took the stand. She could hear all the questions and she answered each one truthfully. She tried to focus, but the answers seemed to flow out naturally and she started to relax. It was over before she knew it.

She glared over at Peter. He looked more nervous than before. She knew what she said hit him hard, but it was the truth. Even Holly looked a little nervous, but she felt nothing. It was as if any feeling she had left within her and every inch of her that felt sorry for him was now gone.

She walked back to her seat feeling proud of herself and her lawyer gave her a light pat on the shoulder. She did good. She did not think she was capable of this but she suddenly felt good about herself. She wanted to get this divorce over and done with as soon as possible and it was now up to the judge to decide their fate.

The judge was a woman, which counted in their favor, but she did not want anything more than what she put in the agreement that Peter refused to sign.

Her lawyer invited her for lunch at a nearby restaurant to discuss everything that happened today, and she agreed. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she sat there in the restaurant waiting for her food. It was still a bit early but she ordered a glass of wine to calm her nerves.

They had a quick lunch and discussed the details of court. Her lawyer assured her that it went well, and that they will come up with a better offer soon. They now just had to wait.

She decided to stay after the lawyer left, and ordered a second glass of wine. She felt way more relaxed when she took a cab home, and for the first time since Peter left, she did not feel worthless. She felt proud of herself for standing up for herself, and phoned her daughter to tell her what happened.

The children tried to keep their distance, but she knew that her daughter was more on her side, although she would never admit that. They chatted for a while, and Julia felt even better after talking to her daughter.

Since she had already eaten, there was no need to cook, and she decided to relax for the afternoon. She tried to watch a movie, but her mind kept on wandering off. She decided to read a book she bought at a yard sale last week, but couldn't focus on reading either. Random thoughts kept popping up in her head, and she started doubting herself again.

In the agreement she stipulated that she wanted the house, and that was one thing that Peter agreed on. He never really liked the house, and when they bought it, she made the choice. Now she wondered what she was going to do with all the space.

The house was beautiful, and there were so many memories that was inside this building that it would be hard to get rid of it, but her mind kept on wandering. What was she going to do with the house this size?

Was it really worth staying here alone? What if she met someone else? Questions kept on floating around in her mind, and then without thinking she dialed the number of the realtor. She was going to put the house up for sale, and see what happens. Coincidentally the realtor was in the area, and asked if he could bring people over immediately and she agreed.

Her house was always in an immaculate condition, so she did not have much to do. She greeted them at the door forty five minutes later, and she really liked the couple the realtor brought to look at the house.

Fifteen minutes later the couple had made up their mind. They wanted the house, and they were going to put in market related offer. She gave her details to the realtor, and he promised to contact her soon.

She waved as they left, and then it hit her like a ball of fire. What did she do? She just sold the only place that had ever meant anything to her and she didn't know if it was the right thing to do. She calmed herself by doing some breathing exercises, and decided to wait for the offer first before going into immediate panic mode.

She went straight to the liquor cabinet, and poured herself a stiff whisky. Her thoughts were all jumbled up. She had no husband, she had no house, and she seemed to be making irrational decisions without thinking it through. What would be the next mysterious step she was going to take into the unknown. She took a sip of the whisky and smiled when she pulled closer the laptop. She suddenly knew exactly what she was going to do.

-To be continued-
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