Clark chuckled at their dumbfounded expressions. “Did it ever occur to you? Think of all the times she was missing. Your beach trip? She was with me. After the medical wing opening? She was with me. Ever wonder why she hired so many divorce attorneys? That was the day she thought you might have suspected her. Why did she claim you had cheated, besides the fact that you probably did? The easiest defense is a strong offense. No one would ever suspect.”
Jack glanced away with a sigh. Lexi could tell that Clark was looking for a bigger response. She sincerely believed he wanted Jack to swing on him. But Jack just nodded after a minute and turned back to look at Clark.
“Then, it’s good I’m divorcing her,” Jack said, crossing his own arms. “Would you testify to this under oath?”
Lexi felt her mind process what was happening. It was like the click a lock made after entering the right combination. If Jack brought forth Clark as a witness to Bekah cheating, then the prenup infidelity clause would pass to Bekah…and she could lose everything.
“You won’t even have to say anything,” Lexi said quickly. “Just you being there will be enough to make her admit it herself.”
“Why should I help either of you?” Clark asked.
“You’re just weeding out the truth,” Jack said, reasoning with the man who had once been his friend.
Clark had only ever cared about the truth. That was what he had wanted from Jack and Lexi when they had cheated. He couldn’t let Bekah get away with lying, too.
“If you walk out now, she’s going to lie and say it never happened.”
“Please, Clark,” Lexi said, hoping that somewhere in the broken man she was staring at, there was still some humanity left.
He shook his head, but after a minute, he finally sighed. “I won’t have to say anything?”
And they had him.
Back in the courtroom, they filled Richard in on what had happened. The best part of all was seeing Bekah’s face drain of all color as Clark walked in behind Lexi and Jack. She covered her mouth and actually looked like she might be sick. Her eyes were wide and not with just fear, like Lexi had suspected…but maybe, just maybe, something else.
Lexi wasn’t sure she would have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own two eyes—affection…love even. Bekah really cared for Clark. Holy shit! Lexi didn’t think that the Bitch had a heart. And now, they were about to stomp on it.
How fitting.
After the judge walked back in and gave his piece about the case, Richard made his move to step in.
“Your honor, we would like to change our file of no fault to breach of the infidelity clause in the prenuptial agreements signed and witnessed by my client and Ms. Bridges. Recent evidence has been brought forth that Ms. Bridges herself has entered into a sexual affair with another man while married to my client. We have the man in question here to testify if Ms. Bridges deigns to deny the allegations,” Richard said smartly.
Bekah opened her mouth to speak, but her attorney placed his hand on her shoulder, effectively silencing her.
“My client was unaware of this new evidence, and we have not been given sufficient time to prepare for a defense. I would like to request that we postpone the case and reconvene at a future date.”
Bekah slapped his hand away and sat up straighter. She looked indignant and maybe even a little bit like she had cracked.
“Your honor, I never finished cross-examining the witness,” Richard cut in. “I believe we should get Ms. Bridges back up on the stand.”
“Ms. Bridges, do you consent to return to the stand?” the judge asked.
“No, she most certainly does not,” her attorney said.
“Ms. Bridges?” the judge implored, bypassing her attorney and looking squarely into her bright blue eyes.
It was like he could see that she was a cornered mouse and maybe even he didn’t want to see her get away with it either.
Bekah glanced first at Jack and then to Lexi sitting behind him. She looked hollowed out and used up. She was trying to find a way out of all of this, but one wasn’t producing itself. There was no way out. Even if she waited out for another date, Clark had confirmed this story, and all they needed was the threat of him on record.
That was when Bekah’s eyes found Clark. Lexi saw the look that passed between them, and she knew all too well what was going through Bekah’s mind. A love lost…a desperate, foolhardy love that Bekah had been stupid enough to fall for. Clark turned his face away from her, and the tender string that Bekah was holding on to snapped.
“Yes,” Bekah’s voice rang out clearly. She turned back up to the judge. “Yes, I’ll get back up on the stand.”
Lexi was shocked. The girl was sending herself to the grave. It was like she had hit a breaking point. Her attorney collapsed back into his chair and threw up his hands. Lexi understood his concern.
They swore Bekah back in, and on record, Richard asked her if she had had an affair with Clark. After a few minutes of prodding, Richard managed to pull the truth out of her. When the words left her lips, confessing that she had been sleeping with Clark for over a year, Bekah actually broke down into tears. Lexi had never seen Bekah cry. Lexi hadn’t believed Bekah was capable of it.
And all Lexi could hear through Bekah’s sobs was, “I thought he loved me. He told me he loved me.”
Lexi couldn’t get over the fact that Bekah was human. Despite everything that had happened, Lexi couldn’t believe that Bekah was able to show any emotion, except malice. It didn’t really make Lexi feel bad for her since Bekah had put her through too much for that, but Lexi did at least understand her in that moment. Lexi had done the same with Jack over and over again. The only difference was that Jack actually did love Lexi. And he was staring at her right then like he was never going to stop.
The attorneys made their closing remarks, and then the judge made his ruling orally before everyone. He announced that Bekah had breached the infidelity clause in the prenuptial agreement. Due to this, all marital assets would pass to Jack, and Bekah would owe him a prearranged sum that made Lexi’s head spin with zeroes.
Bekah looked like she was in complete shock, and her father looked ready to pummel her. She had broken the rules. She had done the exact opposite of what she had come here to do. She had not only humiliated herself but the entire Bridges family. And Lexi knew what kind of fallout that would have on Bekah.