One Wild Night

The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. Mia's voice, barely a whisper, hung in the air as the phone speaker crackled on the other end.

The weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future pressed down on her, each heartbeat a drumbeat of anticipation.

Jeff, his hand tight on Mia's shoulder, exchanged a worried glance with Harry.

A beat of silence stretched into an eternity, punctuated only by Mia's ragged breathing. Then, a voice, colder than the winter wind, cut through the tense silence.

"Vanessa?" Henry's voice boomed through the speaker, disbelief tinged with a flicker of something that might have been anger. "Is that really you?"

Mia flinched at the sound, squeezing her eyes shut. "Yes," she croaked, her voice gaining a sliver of strength with each syllable. "It's me."

There was another pause, this one filled with a tangible shift in the air pressure. When Henry spoke again, his voice was laced with a dangerous calm. "When did you return from the dead?"

"That is not important," Mia countered, her voice surprisingly steady. "What matters is that I'm alive."

"Not important?" His voice rose, a hint of his true nature peeking through. "You disappear for three years, presumed dead, and now you think you can just call me without an explanation?"

"There is nothing to explain," Mia countered, her voice gaining strength with each word. "But that's not why I called."

"Then why did you call?" Henry demanded, the phone rattling on his end. "Better still, where are you? You can tell me whatever you have to say when we meet," Henry said, not wanting to hear what she had to say until she answered his questions.

The question hung heavy in the air. Jeff's grip on Mia's shoulder tightened, and Harry leaned forward, his eyes fixed on her face. This was the pivotal point, the moment where the fragile peace she had built could crumble.

"I don't want to meet. Where I am isn't your business, Henry…"

"Not my business? Don't I, your husband, deserve to know what happened? Shouldn't you at least tell me where you have been and what you have been doing for the past three years while I mourned your loss?" Henry asked, and Mia scoffed.

"No, Henry. You don't deserve shit from me! And if I wanted you to know where I was, I wouldn't have disappeared in the first place or taken so long to reach out to you," Mia said, surprising everyone in the room, even herself.

The tremor in her voice was still present, but it was overshadowed by a newfound determination. "What matters right now and the reason I called is that I want a divorce."

Jeff, unable to contain his surprise, let out a low whistle. Even Harry, who had prepared himself for a volatile reaction, raised an eyebrow. This approach, defying Henry's expectations, seemed to throw him off balance.

The silence that followed this declaration was deafening. It stretched on for what felt like an eternity, each tick of the clock a nail being hammered into the coffin of their past. Finally, a cold laugh sent shivers down Mia's spine.

"A divorce?" Henry's voice dripped with icy sarcasm. "Don't you think it's a little late for that, Vanessa? After all this time, you think you can just waltz back in and demand something like that?"

Mia gritted her teeth, her anger rising to counter the fear. "I wasn't waltzing in," she retorted, her voice gaining strength. "I was simply making a request. Or should I say, a demand. I refuse to remain tied to you."

"Don't be ridiculous, Vanessa. You can't just call and…"

"Yes, I can, Henry," Mia interrupted, her voice firm. "You and I are done. I want out."

Another silence, this time laced with a barely concealed threat. "Do you think this is a game, Vanessa? You can't just disappear and then reappear to ask for a divorce after three years."

Mia's jaw clenched. "Disappeared?" she echoed, her voice sharp with anger. "Don't you dare rewrite history. You were the reason I left. If I knew of a better way to escape from the torment that was marriage to you, I would have done it much earlier and not waited that long."

A flicker of surprise crossed Harry's face. This wasn't just Mia making a clean break. She was taking back the narrative, challenging the image Henry had constructed.

"Don't be dramatic, Vanessa," Henry scoffed. "We will discuss this when I see you."

"You won't be seeing me. And there is nothing to discuss," Mia countered, her voice unwavering. "I will send you the papers."

"Papers? You think a piece of paper will change anything between us?" Henry spat.

"It will be the legal end of our marriage," Mia said, her voice betraying a hint of the fear that still gripped her. "That's all I need. Isn't it better for you this way? Everyone already thinks I'm dead already anyway, so it won't be a big deal. All you have to do is sign the papers quietly. I don't care about your money. I won't be asking for a dime. All I need is your signature on the papers."

Another tense silence followed. Then, Henry spoke, his voice a low growl. "I'm never going to divorce you, Vanessa. Never. I married you for better or worse, and it's going to remain that way. I've told you this countless times in the time we were together, I come from a lineage of people who stuck together. There has never been a history of divorce in my family, and it won't begin with me. No one might know, but I will know. Henry Rosewood is not a failure. For the love I have for you, I will forgive your foolery and give you one chance, just one chance. Drop whatever you are doing over there and whoever you're doing it with, and come back home to me. I will tell everyone you didn't die as we thought. You lost your memory for years but only just regained it and that is why you have found your way back home now. All will be forgiven and you can take your place by my side once again. You have twenty-four hours to make up your mind. If you don't take this chance and you make me come get you myself, you will be punished for ever thinking of making a fool of me. I guess you must have forgotten who I am because you've been away from me for so long. I am Henry Rosewood, and no one- not even you my darling wife will get away with publicly humiliating me."

The phone call ended abruptly, leaving them in a stunned silence.

The threat hung heavy in the air, a poisonous cloud threatening to engulf them. Mia let out a shaky breath, her body slumping against Jeff's side. He wrapped his arm around her, his touch a source of comfort in the aftermath of the emotional storm.

Harry, his jaw clenched tight, stared at the wall. There was no doubt in his mind – Henry was far from finished. But for the first time, he saw a glimmer of hope in Mia's eyes. She had faced her past, and while the journey ahead would be far from easy, she had taken the first step towards reclaiming her life.

"You were right. He is not going to let go of you easily," Harry finally said, his voice low.

Mia raised her head, a steely glint in her eyes. "I am willing to do whatever it takes to be free of him." Mia said, her voice sharp with determination.

"Good," Harry said and Mia sighed as she looked from Harry to Jeff, a flicker of gratitude crossing her face.

"Thank you Harry. And you too, Jeff."

Jeff squeezed her shoulder. "Always."

They sat in silence for a moment longer, the weight of the phone call settling upon them. But beneath the fear and uncertainty, there was a newfound resolve – she wasn't fighting Henry alone, and she wouldn't back down.

"Alright," Harry finally said, breaking the silence. "Let's get to work. We need a plan, a way to ensure your safety and expedite this divorce."

"Yes. Let's get this done," Mia said with a nod.

The battle lines had been drawn. And while the path ahead remained shrouded in uncertainty, with the support of Harry and Jeff and everyone else, she was finally ready to fight for her future.

Before Harry could say another word, Mia's phone buzzed with a phone call, and she stiffened when she recognized the number displayed on the screen.

"My father is calling," Mia informed them.

"Do you want to talk to him?" Harry asked and Mia took a deep breath before giving him a nod.

"I should. I'm sure Henry must have asked him to talk some sense into me," Mia said and then angling her chin defiantly, she received the call and once again placed it on speaker.

"Vanessa? Is that really you?" A male voice asked from the other end of the line.

"I'm Mia now. I'm not Vanessa anymore," Mia said flatly.

"What madness has come over you! You mean to tell me your husband was right? You faked your death and ran away? How could you do something so shameful and disgraceful? Do you have any idea how heartbroken your mother have been? How do you expect us to look at Henry…."

"Why am I not surprised? Three years, and you still haven't changed. I received your call hoping that maybe, just maybe, you might have felt sorry that I died that way and are happy that I'm alive and you have a second chance to correct your mistakes, but it's obvious that you are still exactly the same. You care more about yourself than you have ever cared for me. You haven't heard or seen me in three years and the first thing you do is scold me. Since that is the case, I have no business with you. Your daughter, Vanessa, is dead," Mia said, and without waiting to hear another word from him, she ended the call and switched off her phone.

"I was going to ask you to do that. They might want to come get you. I think you need to disappear," Harry said and held up a finger to stop her from interrupting him.

"I am not saying you should leave like you planned to. You just can't stay here now that he knows you are here. Your safety is important. How about you move to Tom's place? His place is secure and no one will think to look for you there. You can stay there for sometime until we have gotten him to sign the papers and we will make sure he gets a restraining order to stay away from you," Harry said, and Mia nodded.

"I will like that. I don't think I will be able to sleep comfortably here anymore, now that I know that he knows where to find me," Mia said and Harry nodded.

"Good. Your phone has to stay off so it can't be tracked. Matter of fact, you should leave it here. We will proceed with sending him the divorce papers. I will have someone keep an eye on his movements," Harry said and Mia nodded.

"I will be leaving for my vacation this weekend, but Tom will take care of everything. Living at his place makes it easier. I will keep in touch with you and him," Harry said and Jeff looked at him curiously.

"When can she go there? I mean, if she leaves during the day, isn't there a chance to whoever is keeping an eye on her might see her go there?" Jeff asked with concern.

"Can Jeff come with me? I just can't leave him here. I don't want to think of what he might do to Jeff if he finds him here and doesn't see me," Mia said and Jeff shook his head.

"He can't do anything to me…"

"She is right. You can become an Achilles heel for her. You should go with her," Harry said, and Jeff shook his head.

"He can't hurt me…"

"He can. Listen to me, and come away with me," Mia said, her eyes pleading with him to listen to her.

Jeff sighed. "Alright then. But my question has not been answered yet. When do we leave?" Jeff asked and Harry picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Is everywhere clear?" He asked, and listened for a moment before hanging up.

"Now. Get what you need and I will drop you off."

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