Page 20 of Marriage & Mockery

Dragging my ass out of bed, I went through the motions I’d been forcing all week. Bathroom, shower, get dressed. Then I headed downstairs to make a shot of espresso that still didn’t taste how it did when Laina made it for me.

This time, I didn’t stop there. I brewed another shot of espresso, pulled the oat milk from the fridge, filled a tumbler with ice, and mixed it all together with a couple of teaspoons of raw sugar.

Screwing the top on the tumbler, I set it on the top shelf of the fridge, then tore a page from the notepad in the junk drawer.

Made you an iced latte. It’s in the fridge.

— B

There was so much more I wanted to say, but Laina had been very clear about needing distance, and I didn’t want to overstep. I left the note on the counter and was still standing there when Lucy came down in an oversized sweatshirt and shorts with her hair in a messy knot.

She headed straight for the cupboard. “You’re up early.”

“Need to head to the studio to review the rough cuts from filming yesterday.” I moved aside so she could reach the glasses. “There’s leftover pasta salad if you want it.”

She poured some orange juice for herself and leaned against the counter, wrinkling her nose. “Pasta salad doesn’t scream breakfast to me.”

“Fair point.” I tilted my head toward the pantry. “I saw a couple of boxes of cereal in there that your mom must’ve gotten yesterday.”

Lucy glanced at the note, then at me. “Is she sleeping in?”

“Think so.”

She grabbed an apple from the bowl—another sign Laina was home—and headed back toward the stairs. “Don’t work all day.”

“I won’t.”

When she was gone, I slugged down my espresso, rinsed my cup, picked up my keys, and looked once more at the note on the counter before walking out to the garage.

The latte was only a small gesture. And something I should’ve been doing all along since my day usually started before hers. Just another example of how I’d taken my wife for granted.

Heading into the garage, I started the G-Wagon and pulled out of the driveway before I made my first call of the day. One I hadn’t planned for until about one o’clock this morning.

Julian Hayes was my lawyer. We usually only talked a couple of times a month, except during contract negotiations with the network. He was a shark, and I wouldn’t earn nearly as much as I did without him on my side.

I was hoping he’d be able to help me come up with some options to help fix the mess I’d created.

Even though it was barely eight on Saturday, he answered on the second ring. “Morning, Bennett.”

“Hey, Julian. I’ve got you on speaker, but I’m driving to the studio, so there’s nobody else in the car with me.” I turned onto the main road. “I need options. The online stuff isn’t slowing down, and Laina’s the one paying for it.”

“Define what you want protected. Her name, her image, or the ongoing narrative?”

My hands clenched harder around the steering wheel. “All of it. As much as possible.”

“Then we should start with the narrative. Pull in your publicist, or better yet, hire a new one since she hasn’t done shit to take care of this mess yet,” he suggested. “A clear statement from you might help. Full ownership, no defensiveness, and an explicit request that the press and public leave her out of this going forward.”

I’d worked with Sheila for six years, but Julian was right. She’d done practically nothing to minimize the situation, and her focus had been on minimizing the damage to my career instead of my marriage. I’d just been too wrapped up in work, Lucy, and missing Laina to realize it. “And when they ignore it?”

“Then we get less polite. Takedown notices on the worst uses of her face and personal details. Quiet calls to a few editors making it clear that continued personal targeting creates problems they don’t want.”

“The broadcast was a public event, though,” I pointed out.

“But Laina isn’t a public figure, so she has much stronger protections under right of publicity and defamation laws than you,” he explained. “Her image from the event is fair game for news coverage, but the way it’s being used in memes and GIFs is damaging to her reputation, and that’s where I come in.”

“Okay.”

“The studio’s PR team can help apply pressure if we frame it correctly,” he added.