Herbert tranted everything faithfully.
Marquis immediately assured her, "Don''t worry. There''s no marriage that can''t be ended."
Jessica had just begun to rx when Marquis added, "But if your husband hasn''tmitted any specific misconduct, it could take a lot longer."
"How long?" Jessica asked, her hands moving in practiced signnguage. When she finished, Herbert stepped in to voice her question.
"The fastest is about six months. But if things drag on, it could take a year or even two," he answered.
The light in Jessica''s eyes dimmed at once.
She didn''t have that kind of time. She couldn''t afford to wait.
If the quickest route was still half a year, she might as well just wait for death to dissolve the marriage on its own.
Seeing her reaction, Herbert pressed, his tone low and urgent, "She wants this divorce as soon as possible-otherwise she wouldn''t be going to all this trouble. Isn''t there any other way?"
Marquis paused, deep in thought before replying, "Ms. Greene, you mentioned earlier that there might be emotional infidelity. If your husband doesn''t meet the other legal criteria, then our only option is to gather evidence of emotional betrayal to prove the marriage has broken down. If the evidence is solid, a judge may grant the divorce in one hearing."
Jessica hadn''t nned to air Timothy and She''s affair so openly, but she had no other choice if she wanted to win this case.
Timothy could im the gifts he gave She were just for a rtive, but bringing She to school events to pose as Henry''s mother, letting others in the parents'' group mistake She for his wife, and never correcting anyone... even the school security guard thought She was Mrs. Lawson.
All of that showed Timothy''s emotional betrayal.
Of course, if she had clear evidence of a physical affair, things would be even more straightforward.
She remembered that, back in the city, Timothy and She had stayed at the same hotel. She still remembered the date-she could request an investigation.
Saying all this in front of so many people made her feel exposed, but Timothy had left her no dignity, forcing her into this corner.
If he could be so shameless with She, what pride did she have left to protect?
With resolve, Jessica signed, "Then let''s file for divorce on the grounds of infidelity."
She told the attorney everything she''d found recently.
For example, the sheet of paper she''d discovered at home, covered in She''s name over and over in Timothy''s handwriting. The paper itself was gone now, but she''d taken a photo as soon as she found it right before she decided she wanted a divorce.
Then there was the school event.
The incident at Oakwood.
The time Henry told a nurse that She was his mother, and Jessica was just the housekeeper.
And, over seven years of marriage, every time there was public event or guests at home, Timothy would always ask her to stay out of sight. Every time she was told to
ve
disappear, he''d transfer two hundred
thousand dors to her ount.
That, surely, was emotional abuse.
Herbert watched Jessica''s hands, tranting her silent pain.
If things hadn''te to this, Little Mute would probably never have spoken up.
He''d known she''d suffered in this marriage, but he hadn''t realized just how much.
No wonder, on the day they''d
crossed paths again, the look in Little Mute''s eyes had shattered when she saw Timothy and She''s photo shed across the big screen.
Herbert''s heart clenched with rage.
It was obvious-Timothy had bullied her for being mute, for being kind.
Suddenly, Herbert shot to his feet, jaw clenched and fists balled in fury. He stormed out of the room, not even bothering to trante for Jessica.
Jessica tried to call his name, but she couldn''t make a sound. She ran after him, but Herbert was already gone.
Vince, meanwhile, sat there utterly bewildered. He couldn''t understand Jessica''s signnguage, so he had no idea what she''d said after that.