A Man with Nerves of Steel (Joseph Hart) novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Joseph rinsed his mouth and washed his face in the bathroom of his hotel room. As he pressed an ice pack to the cheek Bernard had hit, he saw Cora come in. He stepped out.

“Is this really necessary? My dad didn’t even hit you that hard…”

Cora wasn’t happy with the way Joseph was acting, but she quickly changed her tune when he pulled the ice pack away, revealing the clear bruise on his cheek. “Joe, I didn’t think it’d be that bad. It must really hurt. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“You know what? I must be a real masochist. Your dad slapped me, yet somehow I feel relieved. I haven’t been the most devoted son-in-law all these years, and maybe I haven’t done much to make him proud, but I never dragged his name through the mud, either.

“After this punch, we’re even. I don’t owe him anything anymore, nor do I owe your whole family anything anymore,” Joseph said.

He handed Cora a stack of legal papers. “Take a look at these. This is the legal route I’m prepared to take. If you agree to the divorce, I won’t file the lawsuit, even if you refuse to compensate me monetarily.”

“You… Joe, what’s gotten into you? We had a perfectly good life, and you’re dead set on blowing it up for no reason.”

Cora had never really believed he would go so far as to actually take her to court. It left her blindsided and deeply hurt. 1

“A good life?” Joseph repeated. “I’m sure it must’ve been great for you, at least. You got to have the best of both worlds, and you even had me raising your kid. Of course you think it’s a fantastic life. But what about me? Natalie isn’t my daughter.

“You lied to me for over ten years. Over a decade! How many decades do you think a person gets? Who in their right mind would want to keep living like that?”

He was worked up, on the verge of exploding and screaming at her, but he forced himself to hold it back. “How many times have I told you to get a DNA test done yourself, Cora? You’ll understand why I’m acting like this when you see the results.

“I’ve given you all this time, yet you still refuse to verify it. The only conclusion I can draw is that you’re guilty and scared of the truth.”

“And how many times do I have to repeat this before you believe me, Joseph? I didn’t cheat on you. Natalie is your daughter!” Cora shot back.

“So you’re saying the paternity test results I have are fake? You think all those different certified labs gave me fake results? What, you think I’ve got that much clout?”

Joseph was furious to see Cora still refusing to admit what she’d done. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “Cora, wake up! Where’s your objectivity and rationality? You need to cut your losses before it’s too late!

At that, Joseph asked, “Is Cora here?”

“Ms. Lowell is extremely busy and can’t step away right now, so she sent me as her representative. Joseph, let’s just talk first,” Fiona said.

She invited Joseph out, and they got into her car.

He didn’t make a scene. He just asked, “What is Cora trying to pull? Does she really think she can dodge this forever if she ducks out today? Go back to her and tell her to get over here. Let’s get this divorce over and done with.”

Fiona read his expression and could tell he was agitated, so she hurried to calm him down. “Marriage is between two people-it’s not something you can just end with a snap of your fingers. You already went in and spoke to the clerk, right? They must’ve told you that you need to provide grounds for divorce.

“You only wrote down irreconcilable differences. I can tell you for sure that the court will ask for a clearer explanation if we contest the divorce. I’m sure you have more convincing reasons for doing this, don’t you? You need to persuade not just the judge and me, but also Ms. Lowell.”

Joseph frowned in displeasure. “Cora knows exactly what she’s done. She’s just pretending to be clueless!".