Chapter 1

I still can't believe this happened. How did it happen? Today is Friday and everything went to shit Monday afternoon. I don't see what I did wrong but apparently according to my ex, again how did that happen in 2 days or better yet a day and a half? Is that even possible? Let me explain…

My name is Stephanie Plum, I am 28 years old and as of 4 days ago I was married to Richard Orr, who is an attorney and partner in his law firm. Notice I said "was". Right now, it is a little past midnight in the wee hours of Friday morning and I'm sitting on a park bench in the city park-wide awake with my 5-year-old son, Jackson laying down next to me. His head is in my lap and his feet are stretched out on the rest of the bench. He, thank goodness is asleep.

Here's what happened. I was at the gun range all morning on Monday until a little after noon. I usually go 3 days a week. I love going because it gives me something to do, and I also get to take self-defense classes while I'm there.

I pull up in my Mercedes which was a gift to me from my husband. We have been married for 6 years. I got married straight out of college. We had our son Jackson a year later. I'm not going to say I was happy being married to Dickie (that's what everyone called him) but he never mistreated me or hit me, up until Monday.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. I pull into the driveway of my 2-story brick house and there is another car there. I think nothing about it because it's probably just someone from my husband's firm over at the house for a meeting with Dickie.

I get out of my car and walk in through the front door which leads into a mudroom. I hear voices in the kitchen, so again, I'm "assuming" that they are in there having a meeting. Not wanting to disturb them, I ease the kitchen door open, and I stop dead in my tracks.

There on the brand-new kitchen table that I just got 2 days ago, and we haven't even used it yet, is my husband of 6 years playing hide the salami with Joyce Barnhardt. JOYCE! Of all people. For a minute I was stunned. I didn't know what to do. Then I started screaming and ranting telling him to get out and that we were through. I was not going to be with a man that cheated on me.

Once, he realized I was there he started to blame me. that's right blame ME. Like I made him cheat. Oh HELLO! No, I did not make him cheat. He tells me that if I was "putting out" more and would let him do "butt stuff" with me that he wouldn't have to "roam" Hey his words not mine.

I told him he was full of crap, and I proceed to go to our bedroom upstairs I was attempting to throw his things out. Well, he went ballistic. I have never seen this side of him. Remember when I said I was taking self-defense classes, at any given time I could pretty much defend myself, or at least that's what I thought.

Dickie caught me off guard and backhanded me across the face and I fell to the floor. I was stunned I will admit that. Then I proceeded to get up and try to defend myself, but my eye was starting to swell from the hit he gave me on my face.

He then started slapping me and hitting me. Before I even realized it, I was on the floor in a fetal position trying to keep from getting seriously wounded. He was kicking my stomach and hitting me in the face. Then he finally stops so I'm thinking okay it's over with.

Not by a long shot. He then goes and drags me. Yes, that's right DRAGS me down the stairs by my hair. I'm hitting each step as I go down. He then throws me in the back of his car, and we drive off.

I know you are wondering where is your son during all of this? My son was across the street at a neighbor's house playing with their kid. Thank God he wasn't around to see any of this because I would hate to know what Dickie would have done to him.

By the way, I forgot to mention that Dickie, does not love and has never loved his son. He didn't want kids. I got pregnant by him pretty much as a fluke. I was on the birth control shot but I had just gotten over the flu and I was taking antibiotics and that didn't mix with "the shot" so that's how I got pregnant.

Getting back to my story. I'm lying in the backseat of his car and I'm crying and honestly, I'm scared. I'm thinking about what he is going to do now. The whole time we are riding to whatever destination we are going to he is yelling at me telling me what a bad wife I am. That I can't do anything right. That I need to make sure I always stay alert because if I don't someone will take Jackson away from me.

He said if I had just left it alone and let him finish everything would have been okay. Let him finish? Is he for real right now? He wouldn't have let me finish if the roles were reversed. I mean I wouldn't have cheated anyway but you know what I mean.

We finally pull up to our destination and we are at his law firm. Okay, I'm thinking now about why we are here. Before I could even ask that question, he is pulling me out of the car and dragging me, yes again by my hair, into the building.

He then throws me down on the leather couch in his office, locks, and closes the door. He is gone I would say maybe 5 minutes tops. When he comes back in, he has the other 4 partners of his law firm with him.

According to my husband Dickie, I need to be "punished" for my actions. What damn actions? He then tells his "partners" that they can help him to teach me a lesson. I am sitting upright on this couch, the best that I can because I'm in severe pain and I'm pretty sure my ribs are either cracked or bruised. I look at him like he was crazy.

Before I can do anything to "fend" anyone off me. Each guy takes there turn at me. Now, I shouldn't have to spell it out to you. I'm pretty sure you can figure out what I mean when I say, "take their turn with me". So, I'm not even going to elaborate on that.

After all, 5 guys were finished Dickie, then hands me, get this, DIVORCE papers that he just had drawn up. He supposedly had a judge sign them and all he needed was my signature I don't know how he had this happen. I do know that when the guys were "punishing me" for being a "bad wife" he wasn't in the room.

By this time, I am in no mood to do anything. I can barely sit. My clothes are torn and all over the floor of the office. I'm hurting all over my body. My vagina is in severe pain not to mention my ass is as well. My left eye was swollen, and I just wanted to curl up and just make it all go away. I was seriously going into denial land. Hell, I was practically living there at this point.

I "attempted" to sign the papers the best that I could. As soon as I did that, he walked me, wasn't that nice of him he didn't drag me, out of his office and put me in the passenger seat of his car. Before he walked me out, he did allow me to put my clothes back on. I thought that was mighty nice of him. NOT! He took me back to the house by this time I just don't care anymore.

He then tells me that in the morning he will take me to my mother's house along with my son. He referred to Jackson as "my son" not "our son". Jackson was home by this time, but Dickie would not allow him to see me. He told him I was sick and under the weather.

The next morning Dickie, bless his heart, wakes me up bright and early at 7 am. He then has me grab my purse, no phone, and tells me to go and wake up Jackson. Let me set this scene for you. We have no clothes, no suitcases, no phone nothing but my purse that's it. He didn't even let me take my wallet. Oh, and Dickie, did let Jackson bring his favorite action figure Batman with him.

He then drives us 2 hours to my mother's house. I say my mother's house because my father died 2 years ago on his way to come and visit Jackson. Well, my mother got mad at me because he died, and she has pretty much blamed me for his death ever since.

My grandma Edna, lives with my mother and she doesn't blame me, but she can't talk to me because my mother will not allow her to. You wouldn't think that would stop her but so far it has.

When we arrive at my mother's house, he physically drops us off. He tells us to get out and he drives off. Jackson has been asking what is going on and I wasn't able to tell him anything. I walked up to my mother's house; I have not been here in over 2 years. I knock on the door and Valerie my sister answers. I failed to mention to you that yeah, she is pissed at me too.

When she sees me, she calls for our mother, Helen Plum comes to the door wearing a gray smock dress with her hair in a bun. She looks at me and wants to know what I want. I tell her what happened, and she says I'm not allowed at her house and to get lost and slams the door in our face.

I was stunned I thought surely, she wouldn't turn her only grandson away, but she did. As we are walking down the steps, I try to remember who else I know in this town that we could stay with at least for a couple of days.

I remembered my best friend Mary Lou, who I have known since elementary. She didn't live too far from my mother's house, so we walked over to her house. She is married to Lenny, who is her high school sweetheart, and they have 3 kids together.

I'm thinking okay she is my best friend; Jackson and I will have a place to stay at least for a couple of days, right? WRONG! She tells me and I quote "she can't hang around me because my mother will not speak to her if she does." WAIT WHAT?

Why is she worried about my mother? She doesn't even like my mother. But those were her exact words to me. I was floored. We have known each other for over 20 years, and she was seriously doing this to me.

This brings me back to right now, where I'm still sitting on a park bench in the wee hours of Friday morning trying to figure out what to do. By this time my bruises are starting to fade, and I can finally open my left eye. It's been 5 days if you count today since the incident happened. I haven't eaten since Monday morning and Jackson, I hate to say this, I have been having to get him food out of trash cans because I have no money nothing.

I tried to go to some churches, but if you can believe this I was turned away. WHY? Because I couldn't prove who I was and that I was homeless. DAMN! Look at me. I look like I have been through hell. I was in so much pain that I could barely walk. But I had to suck it for the sake of Jackson.

I know what you are thinking. Just show them your licenses. If only it was that easy. When I say Dickie took everything, he took EVERYTHING. I have my purse, and in my purse, I have a package of Kleenexes, the travel size, lip gloss, Jackson's batman figure, my gun that has no bullets and no cartridge to hold the bullets, because again, he took that also and a few other things.

I believed that maybe this was my fault. Should have I just let it go? Not said anything. Maybe I overreacted. I mean things happen right? This was my train of thought throughout the morning as Jackson was waking up. Stupid Stephanie was showing up in full force so was the land of denial.

I was determined to try to find a way to make some money. I was not going to prostitute myself, but I was going to try to see what I could do. I already went to a pawn shop and tried to sell my gun, but because I didn't have the cartridge it was worthless. Dickie took my wedding ring, so I didn't even have that. What an Asshole.

Once Jackson wakes up and stretches, we start out walking trying to see what we can find for him to eat. We had been walking for about 2 hours and I was still in severe pain from my ribs when we come across this garage that had nice cars parked under it. The fence that surrounds the property has a hole in it big enough for us to duck under it and get to the garage. It was hot out and we just needed shade.

I just wanted us to get under the overhang of this garage to get out of the sun for a few minutes, then we would start our walk back. We had been there for a good 7 to 10 minutes trying to rest when a black SUV pulls up in one of the parking spots and a very good-looking man gets out.

I don't know if he can see me or not, but I'm not taking any chances. Jackson and I stand up, because we were both sitting down, and we attempt to leave the overhang without this guy seeing us.

God thought I was a bad wife too because he was not on our side today.

"Hey, why are you here in this garage?" the stranger questioned me as he started walking towards us.

Oh, Brother, this was not going to be good…