Read Let's Play Make-Believe for Free Online

recovering part of my old life had been a failure.
    Brennan stood with a broad smile on his face and shook all of his lawyers’ hands like he was O. J. Simpson and had just avoided a double murder rap.
    I spent the next few moments consoling my attorney, who felt like he had let me down. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and hugged him. He sniffled and nodded.
    As Brennan passed me on his way out of the courtroom, he stopped and leaned down. “You look great, babe. Sorry about your little motion.”
    “Why are you doing this? Why humiliate me on top of everything else?”
    Brennan just grinned and said, “Because I can, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it.”

Chapter 14
    Outside the courthouse, my lawyer said it was all his fault. As I looked at him and his off-the-rack suit and Supercuts haircut, my thick file tucked under his right arm, I realized he had no idea the hearing had been fixed. He’d followed the rules and assumed everyone else would as well. I’d done the same, and look where that had gotten me.
    My lawyer said, “I’ll keep looking for something we can exploit. But at some point you have to get on with your life. Christy, you’re a beautiful woman, and you shouldn’t let this experience sour your outlook on love.”
    That was an easy thing for a father of three who had been married twenty years to say. I gave him a hug and sent him on his way.
    That evening Marty had to work, so I sat in my quiet room at the Brazilian Court Hotel and did nothing but search the Internet for legal precedents and articles about situations like mine. I wanted to explore every possible option I had.
    That night I barely slept, tossing and turning, my stomach tightening every time I thought about the hearing.
    The next day, Marty came by around lunchtime, when I was only barely starting my day. He talked me into taking one of our usual walks along the beach. I was quiet for a while; then, after we had gone a way in the soft sand, he said, “Sorry I didn’t sleep over, but I had a ton to do. But because I worked during the night, now I have a few hours to spend with you on a beautiful day like this.”
    I said, “It’s all right. I was on my iPad all night doing legal research anyway.” That seemed to catch his attention.
    “I thought your attorney was supposed to do that kind of thing for you. Did you at least find anything interesting?”
    “A few things.” I wasn’t sure if I was playing coy or worried about trusting Marty completely. It was easier to make him work for the answers so I could decide what I might say.
    Marty said, “A few interesting legal leads? Can you give me a for-instance.”
    I decided to jump in with both feet. “Did you have a will when you were going through your divorce?”
    Marty said, “I had nothing to leave anyone. Teal was getting it all anyway.”
    “Did you know that if you die without a will, it’s called dying intestate and generally the spouse is in line to get everything?”
    That made Marty stop in his tracks. He even glanced around to make sure no one was near us on the beach, but by now we were blocks from the public beach and there wasn’t a soul in sight. He looked right at me and said, “That can’t be right. Even in a divorce.”
    I told him what I had read. “As long as the divorce isn’t final, and there is no will, all of the precedents say the spouse is entitled to the estate.”
    “Aren’t wills filed in court?”
    “No. They can be held by the attorney, but usually they’re just kept right at the home of the deceased. It’s convenient and doesn’t cost anything. And most people really don’t think they’re gonna die anytime soon. It’s just one of those details that floats by in life.”
    Marty started walking again and just said, “Really? Good to know. Next time I’m wealthy, I’ll make sure to give a will to my attorney just in case. One less thing to worry about.” He gave me that adorable smile that made all my