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no.”
    “Were either of you still legally married before this union occurred?”
    “No, of course not. What the hell, Marshall? What has any of this got to do with getting my marriage annulled?”
    “A civil annulment will only be granted under certain circumstances. I’m trying to ascertain if you qualify.”
    “And if we don’t?”
    “Then you’ll have to seek a divorce.”
    Reed shook his head. What did it matter anyway? Their marriage would be over either way. “Fine.” He waved a hand in the air. “What are the rest of the questions?”
    “Was one or both of you unable to consummate the marriage?”
    He arched up an eyebrow. “I said Ashley was pregnant.”
    “I understand, but that happened before you married, not after.”
    “No. Neither of us had any trouble consummating the marriage. Next question?”
    Marshall rattled off several more and Reed’s response was the same each time. No.
    “You and Ashley don’t meet the criteria for a civil annulment.”
    He nodded. “Okay, a divorce it is. Can you get the paperwork started?”
    “We’ll start with a list of assets. Do you own a home together?”
    A home together. He’d purchased the condo long before they’d met, but it hadn’t felt like home until Ashley moved in. She’d taken his sparse, sleek, ultra-modern penthouse, added a few personal touches, and made it warm and welcoming. A place you wanted to return to at the end of a busy day. “No.” The thought of going back there now held little appeal. “And I’ve decided to put the condo up for sale.”
    Marshall nodded. “Any investments? Stocks, bonds, artwork?”
    “Two paintings.” They’d purchased them at an art show they’d attended for a friend. Ashley loved the clean, simple lines of the matching pieces. “They’d be perfect in the living room,” she’d said. And she’d been right. “They’re worth about a thousand dollars. Ashley can have them.” He didn’t want to be reminded of her every time he saw them. And he would. Her smiling face. The playful, mischievous glint in her eyes. Get a grip.
    “What about—”
    Reed held up a hand. “We were only married for eight weeks, Marsh. Other than the paintings and some furniture, which I don’t want, we didn’t purchase or own anything together of significant value.”
    “Okay. I’ll get started on this. Have Ashley’s attorney contact me.”
    Reed swore. “Can’t you handle it?”
    “I recommend Ashley have her own council. We’ll file no-fault on grounds of irreconcilable differences in six months.”
    “Six months! We have to wait that long before we can even file?”
    “That’s the minimum amount of time, assuming you live separate and apart and you both agree to the grounds.”
    “And if we don’t?”
    “You’d have to wait two years.”
    No. Unacceptable. “We need to do this faster.” God, he just wanted this whole thing to be over and done with.
    Marshall’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what you want, a quickie divorce?”
    He nodded. “We just want to get on with our lives and put the last few months behind us.”
    “We can file for an uncontested divorce if you both agree to the terms.”
    Reed stood. “Good. How long will it take?”
    Marshall arched up a brow. “Are you sure about this? Maybe you two can—”
    “Work things out? No.”
    “And Ashley will agree to the terms?”
    “We have a prenup. What’s not to agree on?”
    Marshall nodded. “Okay. I’ll draw up the settlement. You’ll be a single man again in a few weeks.”

Chapter 8
    Ashley sat in her office at The Perfect Affair and read through the email she’d written to the University of Chicago law school one last time. Satisfied she’d explained the circumstances regarding her initial decision to defer admission, and the reason for her change of heart, she hit ‘send.’
    While it was true Harvard and Stanford hadn’t notified her, yet, they’d been her stretch schools, especially Harvard.
    No matter, with a little