Chapter 18

Bill had waited until Lexi and Junior were out of the house before he sat down with Marion. He had been in turmoil for several days as he reviewed the evidence of her latest infidelity. The arrogant, pompous Douglas Bingham was less than he seemed, and the patience and strategy that Bill and Tex had employed was going to pay dividends. Marion would have no hint that her life was to be turned upside down, and that there would be no way for her to completely right it again. Mr. Bingham would pay an even higher price, he thought.

"Well, Marion, I guess the time has come for us to have another one of 'those talks, '" he began. This time he was watching closely and he saw the color drain from her face and her eyes narrow."

"What is it this time, Bill?" She appeared to be putting on a brave front.

"This time it's Douglas Bingham," he said simply.

She looked directly at him without reply. She seemed composed and certainly not distraught at her husband's discovery.

"So, what are you going to do, Bill?"

"I'm going to divorce you, Marion. You were given a second chance and you threw it away. There is no third strike." He was speaking in his typical controlled and even-tempered voice.

"You realize of course, that I will get half of everything and probably the children." It was now a more cold-blooded Marion speaking.

"You may get half of my ... our ... assets. As for the children, Lexi will be eighteen soon and beyond your control. I will do everything possible to protect Bill Junior from you and your pathetic boyfriend."

"You may think Douglas is pathetic, but I can assure you, he is not. He is a skilled and dynamic lover. He is president of his company and he is a very important man in this community. When he divorces that wife of his, I will marry him and I will be on the arm of a powerful man." It sounded almost rehearsed.

Bill silently thanked Marion. She was making this much easier. He was repulsed by her comments and the complete lack of shame at her actions. It was time to deliver a few of the facts of life.

He took a white legal-size envelope out of his pocket and passed it to her. "Tomorrow, you will be served with the divorce papers. This envelope contains a proposed settlement that you should present to your lawyer. If you choose to accept this settlement, then the grounds for the divorce will remain irreconcilable differences. If you chose to fight it, the grounds will be revised to adultery."

"Why should I care? I'm still getting a divorce," she said with no apparent concern.

"Well, I thought you might want to preserve your dignity and what's left of your reputation. That might be a more important consideration when you read and look at this," he continued calmly, as he produced a large manila envelope from his briefcase.

Marion took the envelope and opened it. She spilled the contents onto the coffee table in front of her. There were a number of typed pages, several photographs and three DVDs. She briefly looked at the pictures and her face turned bright red.

"How did you get these?" she mumbled.

"The same way I got the DVDs of you and Bingham together in our bed. The same way I got recordings of your telephone conversations with him. The same way I got the receipts from your hotel adventures." His voice was still controlled, but Marion could sense the implied anger and intensity he was conveying. "You should give some thought to how a judge would view this evidence when it comes to the custody issue."

"You can't use this in court. They'll never allow it," she spat.

"I have news for you, Marion. I can and will use it in court if necessary. It was done in our house with my written permission. That is perfectly legal and admissible." His voice had risen and he was broadcasting his disgust with her. "As far as the custody hearing goes, that is not bound by the rules of evidence, and anything relevant to the welfare of the children is admissible. This material doesn't cast a very complimentary light on you, does it?"