Not So Easily Broken Read online

  While plans were being laid down, all Ramon could think about was how far both he and Courtney had come over the last two years and how much he hoped that Courtney could see the man that he had become and would give him the benefit of the doubt. He remembered how stupidly stubborn he had been about Lela and how he had given her the benefit of the doubt instead of Courtney. He knew that Courtney had problems with trust and it peeved him that he was always under suspicion of cheating. She did not always have to say it, but he knew she was always watching to see if he would slip up. If there was one thing that Ramon hated was a liar and a cheat and he tended to want to believe the best about a person before labelling them. He knew the day he ate lunch with Lela at the hotel restaurant that he was making huge mistake but he pushed the thoughts away and decided he would celebrate the victory of the contract that would save his then floundering business. He could see how she was openly flirting with him and his ego just soaked it all in. They may not have had sex but he knew that he had stepped out of the boundaries of what was expected of him as a husband. Also by defending Lela he made an enemy of his wife, and that was something he never intended because despite her flaws he knew he loved her.

  When he found out what Lela was doing and that Courtney had been right all along, he knew he had to make some decisions. He offered Lela a severance package and let her go from the company but, it was not before he spent three stubborn weeks at a hotel angry, hurt and bruised. It gave him time to think and to really see what he kept himself blind to and he knew he had to make some changes. That time away caused him to see that he did not want to live without Courtney but he knew that if they both continued with the unforgiveness, the lack of trust and disrespect that their marriage would not survive. He had offered his name to her in marriage because he wanted her to be his and his alone, so he swallowed his pride and secretly went for counselling at the church that one of his good friends recommended. In his discussions with the man who would later become his pastor and friend he realized his need for God and accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour. That decision totally changed his life and caused him to become the man he was right now.

  He also came to realize during that time that his wife’s discernment had helped him on other occasions but for some reason when she accused him of cheating it reminded him of his brother Jeremy who had tried to cheat him out of what was rightfully his. He had been insulted and he refused to listen to anything that Courtney had to say to him then even though he knew he was wrong.

  During that time at the hotel he was alone with his thoughts and he was gripped with just how much his missed and loved his wife and he began to consider her words. He realized how much he needed to hear her voice and made sure he called everyday to make sure she was safe even if it was for a minute. He even drove by the house to see if she was at home and walked around the house in the dark watching over her protectively. It did not take him long after that to realize that he was being a fool, especially when he could see how broken she was over the whole thing considering her own family background. The woman he married and promised to love and cherish was hurt and he was defending someone else who he never made any commitments to. He knew he had to make some important decisions where his marriage was concerned. He needed to honour his wife’s opinions more even when they seem to point at something he did. He had to learn humility and what it meant to listen and to open up and communicate.

  Today at the photo studio he knew that what he did would have really shocked Courtney and he hoped it would have sent a strong enough message to her about his love for her; one strong enough to salvage this situation. He saw the call from her come through on his phone just before Marsha arrived but he could not bring himself to answer it. He had to know how all of this would turn out. He only wanted to bring her good news.

  After his confession, Robert broke down and begged for leniency in exchange for the evidence he shared. The fruit drink was disposed of and the motion sensor in the floral arrangement was deactivated. Instead, they had set up cameras in the room to record what Marsha would say and do as she entered. The police advised that he remain in the lobby while they dealt with the situation upstairs. He had no problem with that because he knew it would serve to keep him out of trouble.

  As Marsha neared room 307, she popped a cherry flavoured mint into her mouth and when she reached the door she slid the passkey through the lock. The door sounded a low beep indicating it was open and Marsha stepped through the door.

  “Honey, I’m home”, she said in a sing song voice.

  As she entered, she turned to close the door while still speaking.

  “I know that you did not see any of this coming today, but I know that we can make this work Ramon. I love you so much and I am sorry I had to do things this way but I want us to be together, I want you to give this thing between us a chance.”

  She walked across the room and laid her bags on the loveseat. She did not pack a lot of luggage because she did not envision herself as needing a lot of clothes. So she only brought a few things. She began to scan the floor to see if Ramon was lying anywhere in the living area but he was nowhere to be found.

  “Ramon, are you here? Are you hiding in the bathroom?” she trilled.

  Marsha walked over to the bathroom and pushed open the door. But again Ramon was nowhere to be found, just the majestically beige and white tiled bathroom with gold fixtures and a spray of white tiger lilies in a crystal vase greeted her entry.

  “Ramon?” called Marsha softly as she continued her search by walking over the adjoining bedroom. As she neared the door she saw that it was ajar and wondered if he had made it in there before passing out and lying down on the bed to rest. The thought of him lying across the bed caused Marsha to take the last step that would seal her fate. Feeling aroused by the thought of having Ramon there, she paused relishing the heat that began to spread upwards through her body from her abdomen. She removed her clothing leaving only her bra and panties and pushed open the door whispering,

  “Ramon, are you here?”

  Suddenly, she was blinded by what seemed like a series of explosions of white light, and for a moment frozen on the spot, she was totally bewildered about what happened. As her vision cleared, she could see that she was standing in a room with four officers from the Derrien Island police force, Sandra Lewis the desk manager and the hotel owner, Darius Brogan. Crazed as she was, somehow seeing them did not slow down her search for Ramon. Forcing herself to believe that perhaps she was seeing things she continued to call out, this time with more urgency in her voice.

  “Ramon, are you here? Answer me?” she screeched as she looked around the room frantically.

  Sandra stood in disbelief as she watched Ramon’s secretary make an utter fool of herself. What made a woman lower herself to the point where she would try to wreck another person’s marriage to ensure her own happiness?

  The detective in charge stepped forward and asked, “Are you Marsha Davis?

  “Yes I am, who are you, and where is Ramon? He was supposed to be here!” wailed Marsha.

  “Miss, I am arresting you on suspicion of attempted assault on Mr. Ramon Belham. You do not have to say anything at this time, but it may harm your defense if you do not answer any questions that are asked. Anything you say or do may be given in evidence later in court. Do you understand?”

  Marsha was confused. She was being arrested? How? Then she thought of the last thing she heard from Robert, that liar! He said Ramon never came back down and he was supposed to check the room. Where was Robert? What happened to the plan? How could he do this to her? She drew in a sharp breath as she thought about the bank records showing the transaction of thirty thousand dollars from her bank account to his. That would be hard to explain should they make the link between her and Robert.

  Slowly, as the questions raced through her mind, Marsha was still finding it difficult to believe that she had been tricked and that her plans would never come to be. She dropped to her knees and her sudden
ly faraway expression became glassy. She would never have Ramon! Not even for one night of forbidden pleasure in his arms. As that thought circled through her thoughts she suddenly felt like such a fool. She knew in the beginning that she could be putting too much trust in Robert but he owed her big time for all the times she covered for him with his parents when he would hack into the system at school and change student grades for a fee. He was great with computers and had real talent so she decided to use his skills to her benefit. She was desperate and time was running short. She needed someone to help her implement her plan and he turned up at the time when she needed help the most. She had a great job at Belham Event Enterprises and now she had nothing, not even her dignity as she remembered now that she was practically naked in front of these strangers. She attempted to cover her body with her hands while one detective retrieved her clothing and instructed her to put them on immediately. She obeyed and once she had finished, she was told that she would walk downstairs surrounded by the police force.

  Marsha barely heard the words being spoken to her, because all she could think about were her plans falling to shambles around her feet. She had lost! She wondered if Courtney had figured out the pictures were fakes and had already made contact with Ramon. That thought alone filled her with such an insane burst of envy that she aggressively shrugged away the initial attempt of the officer to take her arm.

  “Resisting arrest is an offence madam,” were the only words spoken before she felt the officer take her by the arm again and lead her out of the room. No one spoke a word in the elevator and as they emerged in the lobby, Ramon saw that Marsha was in the custody of the police. He once again lifted the magazine up to cover his face just as she looked across the room as if somehow searching for someone. He did not want to see her, and wanted to talk to her even less. He had almost become a totally ruined man. He could not help but think that God had come through for him in a big way this time. As Marsha was placed in the waiting Jeep in the courtyard outside, he finally exhaled and said a silent prayer of thanks to God for uncovering this scheme against him.

  While he did so, he saw a pair of black leather Clark’s stop just in front of him and he looked up to see Darius Brogan the hotel owner and his good friend towering over him.

  “Ramon, I cannot tell you just how sorry I am about what happened here today. We had no idea that one of our employees was planning something so reprehensible, I am really sorry,” said Darius offering Ramon his sincerest apology.

  “Darius, thank you, for your personal concern, I know it wasn’t your fault,” replied Ramon now feeling even more the gravity of the situation. Flooding his mind were the many what if’s had Marsha been successful. What if Marsha had succeeded in bedding him and gotten herself pregnant? What if Courtney, not knowing where he was believed what she saw in those photographs? He knew the answer and just the thoughts made him sick to his stomach and re-ignited the pounding headache that started after hearing Robert’s testimony. Releasing a gust of air Ramon rubbed his temples with the thumb and middle finger of his right hand, unable to say anything more to his friend.

  Darius observing his obvious distress knew that he had to go out of his way to make amends. Ramon Belham was not only an important business partner but a good friend. He admired the love that he had for his wife Courtney and saw it as something rare and precious in these days when marriages were failing. When Ramon first shared his plans with him, he could see that Ramon was a man willing to go all out for his wife. It made him feel a weight of guilt, knowing how he had treated his own wife with complacency, disregard and distance for the ten years they had been married. How he had looked down on her aspirations of being a dancer instead of supporting her dreams. No wonder she had left him and emigrated to live in Barbados where she could attend the university there and finally obtain her degree. They had divorced last year but not a night or day passed without him being haunted by the thought that somehow he did not fight hard enough to save his marriage. But every time he thought that he would call her, his pride got in the way. If he could not help himself, maybe he could see to it that he helped Ramon.

  “Listen, I want you to know that we are going to offer you and your wife a free stay here at the hotel as a symbol of our regret. You can have room 310 as planned but I will not allow you to pay,” said Darius firmly.

  Ramon could hear the set and firm tone Darius used and stood up and shook the other man’s hand with gratitude.

  “Thank you, this means a lot me coming from you.” he said folding his lips and releasing a gust of air from his nostrils.

  “Now it is almost 5:30 and I know you have special plans for tonight. I think someone special is waiting for you. I already asked the wait staff to deliver a chilled bottle of our best Dom Perignon to your room around 8:30. I will personally watch over the details for tonight to ensure that nothing else goes wrong. You have my word,” promised Darius.

  Ramon felt such relief that at least those plans had been salvaged but he knew the real fight was ahead. How could he convince his beautiful wife Courtney that he was the man he said he was?

  Chapter 7

  Shortly after Courtney made several unsuccessful phone calls to Ramon, she and Constance left the studio and locked it for the evening. As she drove, she tried calling Ramon’s phone again and again without success. Somehow, she had to trust that everything was okay. She tried calling his workplace but she only got the answering service. Everyone had already left for the day. Ramon had promised to be home by 6:00 to take her to dinner for their anniversary so she decided that it would be best to wait for him there.

  Constance however, still concerned about her friend and conscious of her secret role in Ramon’s plans, drove behind Courtney to keep her company until they could get some word from her husband. Driving behind her, she also made a call to Ramon’s phone and this time he answered. Seeing that it was Constance, he pulled his SUV onto the shoulder of the highway to make sure he could speak safely. He did not bother with the regular greetings and got straight to the point.

  “Constance how is Courtney, is she ok? Have you heard from her?” asked Ramon filled with gnawing concern.

  “Ramon, yes she is okay! We had a very interesting afternoon to say the least,” she replied. “She has been calling you and leaving messages on your phone since four o clock.”

  Ramon exhaled with agonized frustration, “Yes, I know. I had to resolve an issue and I did not want to speak to her before I was sure it was fixed.”

  “Ok, so are you ok, is everything back on track?” asked Constance.

  “Yes I am and yes the plans are fully set, but we will have to trade stories later. Listen, I need to know something really important. Did Courtney receive an envelope by courier today?” he asked crossing his fingers and hoping that it was all still somehow a horrible mistake.

  Constance slightly surprised by his question and hearing his agonized tone quickly answered,

  “Yes, she did and she was very confused and hurt.”

  At that response Ramon exclaimed loudly and hit the steering wheel forcefully with his hand. Before he could respond, Constance continued.

  “Don’t worry Ramon, we had a miracle today that helped us get to the bottom of it and she knows that you are innocent. Actually, she cannot wait to see you tonight. God is good!” explained Constance.

  Constance words were like rays of hope that flooded Ramon’s heart as he thought that somehow his marriage was not over for the second time.

  “What are you saying?” exclaimed Ramon not daring to believe he could be so blessed twice in one afternoon.

  “Like you said, we will have to trade stories later. I am on the way to your house now and I’ve never liked driving and talking on the phone. I want you to keep the plan on schedule. I will help Courtney to get ready and you go on ahead and get changed and meet us at the docks for 6:30. You don’t want to miss the sunset proposal, now do you?” chuckled Constance conspirationally.

  “But I don’t
understand. She’s not angry with me?” asked Ramon in amazement.

  “Ramon, she knows that she has nothing to be angry about. You go ahead and get ready; I will work on a story to get her there on-time. After the ordeal she went through today she deserves the surprise that you have for her,” said Constance.