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“Her name is Alessandra Russo.”
“As in—” Bitsy gasped.
“Yes.”
Drake continued to explain the complexity of his situation to the best of his abilities. There were some things he couldn’t tell them for their own safety. He hoped they would understand one day.
Dick clapped his hands. “That settles it. You’ll bring this young lady home for dinner next week. We want to meet her.”
To Drake’s disappointment, Alessandra wasn't home when he returned that evening. But everything else was taken care of. He called her, but again his call went straight to voicemail.
He yearned for his wife, and sitting in the darkness without her angered the beast within him. The longer she stayed away, the worse her punishment would be.
They would see each other in court a few days later. He resolved to drag her home, kicking and screaming if he had to. He helped himself to the rest of the whiskey before bed.
***
Chapter Ten
True to her word, Jenny drew up a divorce petition. Alessandra sat on the bed with the papers in her lap for hours. She trusted Jenny’s legal skills and didn’t read them. She couldn’t read them. She felt lightheaded just by having them in hand.
Jenny knocked on the door, finding Alessandra in the same position she’d left her in. “You need to sign them.”
“I don’t know if I can,” Alessandra pouted.
“Sign them, Alessandra.” Jenny thrust a pen at her and pointed at the papers.
Alessandra felt an immense amount of pressure coming from every direction, which weighed her down. It seemed like nobody cared about her wishes. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“Think of it as insurance. If you sign them now, you can serve Drake in court and avoid a process server.”
She had no intention of celebrating the disillusionment of her marriage. Was it necessary? If she were being truthful with herself, she would confess that she desired to stay married.
Alessandra was determined to show Drake what he was missing. She wore an off-the-shoulder gray knit sweater top and a high-waisted black mini skirt adorned with bold buttons, thigh-high stockings, and black fuck-me pumps.
She pulled her long auburn hair over one shoulder to expose the gentle slope of her neck. Outside she was sexy, confident, and put together. Inside she was falling apart. She longed to be the wife of Drake Walker, not just a woman with a random husband.
Once they arrived at the Richard J. Daley Center, the women parted ways. There were separate security lines for officers of the court and the general public. The security guards knew Alessandra by name at this point and were quite cordial. Her heart quickened with every echoing step down the corridor of the fourteenth floor as she approached Judge Matthew’s courtroom.
Although Jenny had not explicitly stated the day’s expectations, Alessandra was aware that they were related to her marriage. If things went “according to plan,” Marcello would be a free man soon.
Drake was already sitting at the prosecutor’s table when she walked in. He seemed to sense her presence and turned to face her. When their eyes met, he licked his lips like he wanted to devour her, stripping her naked with wolfish eyes.
Alessandra found it impossible to ignore the intense physical response she experienced in Drake’s presence. She walked up to him with a determined mindset, reminding herself of her purpose for being there. She gathered courage while adopting a forced smile to ease the tension before delivering the papers to him.
“Hello, Alessandra. How’s my wife doing?”
“I have a gift for you.” She handed him the envelope and removed the wedding ring from her finger.
As soon as Drake laid eyes on the papers, his expression visibly changed to one of disappointment. His brow furrowed and his eyes blazed with intensity as he asked, “Is this what you really want?”
No, she thought. Alessandra was unable to meet his gaze with a lie on her tongue. Instead, her eyes fell on the Windsor knot of his plum-colored tie. “Just sign the papers, and Jenny can file them today. We’re already in the courthouse. You’ll never have to see me again.”
Drake didn’t have a chance to respond because Marcello was escorted into the room. The guard removed his cuffs once he took his place at the defendant’s table.
Marcello smiled and waved briefly at Alessandra. Anthony and Luca arrived at the courtroom and sat down right behind Marcello a moment later. Their father scowled as he saw Alessandra next to Drake. He tensed at her side as Luca smirked and winked.
Multiple Russo guards entered the courtroom, raising the hair on the back of Alessandra’s neck. Drake was the intended recipient of a message conveyed by her father’s display of strength. She looked at her husband and was interrupted before she could warn him.
