Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Well, I’m here, and my services are being paid for,” Renée says cheerily, “so let’s get to know each other.”
Serena cracks a small smile. “I’d like that. I won’t say no to company.”
“Why don’t I get the two of you a snack?” Phyllis says.
“That would be great, Phyllis,” Daniela says. “Thank you.”
Phyllis leaves, and I make sure that Renée is situated well with Serena. Then I nod to Daniela. “I have some business to attend to in my office. That’s where I’ll be if you need me.”
“Thank you. I understand.”
I haven’t yet told Mario that Serena is here. I was able to get her home without Mario knowing. My first call is to my attorney.
“Morgan and Fort,” the receptionist says.
“Hello, this is Vincent Gallo Junior. I’m calling for Brian Morgan.”
“Of course, Mr. Gallo. One moment please.”
I hear her typing and pressing buttons on the phone, and then the ringer goes again.
“Vinnie,” Brian Morgan says into the phone.
“Hi, Brian.”
“What can I do for you? I’m not sure why you’re calling a divorce attorney.”
“There’s a simple answer to that. I need a divorce.”
“What?”
“Actually, an annulment would be my preference. I’ve only been married for about two weeks, and the marriage hasn’t been consummated. She’s not yet eighteen.”
“Please tell me she’s at least seventeen.”
“She is, and we were married in Colombia with her father’s permission. She’s not an American citizen. But as I said, the marriage hasn’t been consummated, and it won’t be consummated. It was all part of a…deal.”
“Understood. I won’t ask too many questions. The less I know about any of your deals, the better.” I hear papers shuffling and keys clacking in the background. “Here’s the deal. In Texas, there are several potential grounds for getting an annulment. The key point is the non-consummation of the marriage. In Texas, that alone is a solid ground for annulment. Since you’re telling me that you haven’t had a sexual relationship with your wife since the marriage, we can use this as the primary basis for your annulment request.”
“Great. And the fact that she’s underage isn’t an issue?”
He pauses. “Assuming that parental consent was given for the marriage in Colombia, which complicates things slightly, it doesn’t remove your right to an annulment based on non-consummation.”
“Great. Let me know what else you need from me.”
“Just the certificate of marriage. Send it over when you can. I’ll get the paperwork filed. I’m pretty sure we can get this moved along pretty quickly.”
“Good.”
“But about your wife… If you’re not married to her, she won’t be able to stay in the country.”
“Wait… What?”
“When a marriage is annulled, it’s legally treated as if the marriage never existed, which could have implications for any immigration benefits she may have been seeking through that marriage.”
“Shit. A divorce then?”
“Immigration law isn’t my specialty, Vinnie.”
“She wanted to come here. That’s part of why I agreed to the marriage. She’s an intelligent young woman, and she wants to go to culinary school. She doesn’t have those opportunities in Colombia.”
“They don’t have culinary schools in Colombia?”
“No. It’s not that. Her…family. They don’t believe a woman should be doing anything except pushing out babies to seal deals with other families.”
He pauses again. “I see.”
“How can we get her legal status here in the US?”
“Does she have another form of legal immigration status? Like a work visa or student visa?”
“No. This all happened very quickly. I brought her here as my wife.”
“A divorce may be a better option for you, then. Though immigration status could still be affected. We have an excellent immigration attorney here at the firm. You should probably talk to her. I think maybe your best bet is to wait until she turns eighteen, have her apply for residency and a green card. Then instead of an annulment, get a divorce.”
“Crap.”
“What’s the issue? So you wait a year or so.”
I rub at my temple with my free hand. “The issue is that I want to marry someone else.”
He pauses again. “That is a problem. But if you’re not sleeping with your wife, you can still have the relationship that you want. I’ll confer with my partner, and we’ll find a solution for you.”
“Much obliged.”
I end the call and sigh. That throws a kink into things.
But I don’t have time to dwell on that right now. I call Mario.
“Hello…son,” he says into the phone.
His voice makes me want to throw up. “I’m not going to call you Father. Or Dad.”
“Grandfather’s fine,” he says.
“I don’t like that either. None of it is true. I’ve decided I’m going to call you Mario.”
He chuckles sardonically. “Have it your way. I got word from Agudelo in Colombia that you disappeared. With his daughter. Without sealing the deal.”
“Yeah. About that… When were you going to tell me that Diego Vega wasn’t dead?”
“There was no reason to.”
“Who the hell is buried on the Bellamy property?” I demand.