Chapter 11

Olivia is to the point of being irritated and Jon is finally picking up on it.  Although, it doesn't change his behavior.  "Liv, I can't let you go."

"Jon, this is getting tired.  You only want me because you thought I was happy with someone else.  I can't care that you filed for divorce, because you have been married our entire relationship.  A divorce changes nothing.  YOU, not ME, but YOU wanted the mistress close to home that could keep her mouth shut and you had me.  I am so sorry that your wife isn't what you need her to be, driving you to the arms of another woman.  But this isn't working for me anymore.  When I needed you, you weren't there - that will never change."

"Yes it will."

"How can it?  For one, you are on the verge of a tour, you have 4 kids at home - how can you make time for me, for us?  I require and now I demand more than a few hours a week.  I'm sick of waking up alone, going to bed alone and eating alone.  Jesus, I'm fucking lonely and I can't take it anymore."  By the end of that, she needed to take a deep breath, but she couldn't stop.  "And now you want to change everything and I don't want it."

"Why?"

"Are you hearing what I'm saying?  YOU don't have the time!"

Jon, more than frustrated, stands up and takes a few steps out of her way.  "Okay, fine." 

Shocked by what he did, Olivia looks back at him and whispers, "I'm sorry Jon."  She opens the door and leaves the house that he shared with his wife.  The house that she was kept away from and now he wants her to move in to.  She's baffled and can't really get a good read on what just happened.  She went there to tell him that she wants out of the contract and she learns that he filed for divorce.

Her ride back in to the city seemed to take forever, she was tired and wanted to get home.  She grabs her Blackberry from her purse and scrolls through emails.  She didn't miss anything good.  She then checks her pager, surprised that it hadn't gone off when she was with Jon.  No missed pages.  When she accepts that she didn't miss anything and the world didn't fall down around her, she lays her head back and closes her eyes.  The driver knew where he was going.

In New Jersey, Jon paces the house and knows that he needs to find something to do to burn his excess energy.  But he had no idea what he should do.  In his office he has stacks of posters that he needs to sign, he has some contracts that need his signature and he has a house that he needs to have packed up.  He has no idea what Dorothea plans to take, so he plans to pack it all up and start over.  Looking at his watch and seeing that it was dinner time, he grabbed his phone, his keys and hopped in his car.  He was heading to mom and dads, hoping for some home cooked Italian food.  In reality, he needed to talk to his mom, his best friend.

"Jonny, what are you doing here?"  Jon's mom asks as her son walks in the garage door.  "Where are the kids?"

He kisses his mom, looks at his dad, "HI pops.

"Son." his dad acknowledges him, "How are you?"

"I need to talk to you guys."  he says, sitting on the couch next to his mother.  His parents are watching the evening news and there it was,

BREAKING NEWS:  Rocker Jon Bon Jovi files for divorce from his high school sweetheart, Dorothea Hurley.  Sources tell us that Jon has been in a relationship with a doctor from Mercy Hospital here in New York City.  The same doctor that treated his broken foot two years ago.  The rocker and the doctor could not be reached for comment, but Jon Bon Jovi's wife, Dorothea released this statement.

While this is a hard time for my family, I ask that you all leave us in peace.  The matter is personal and private and we will keep it that way. 

Jon's mom and dad look at him with their mouths wide open and in complete shock,

 "Jonny, tell me that's not true."

He lowers his head and mumbles, "That's what I came here for.  I never thought the news would get word of it."

"Did you file for divorce?" his dad questions him.  His heart is racing, he's feeling anxiety that is masking the fact that he's feeling sorry for Dorothea.  "Are you seeing someone else?"

Jon looks at his mother, whom has tears running down her face, "You have a girlfriend?" she asks, with such disgust in her voice, "Are you cheating on Dorothea, Jon?"

Jon gets up and runs his hands through his hair, "Yes I filed for divorce and I was seeing someone else."

His mom is in shock, "No, tell me it's not true.  Jonny, how could you?  What about the kids?"

"Ma, the kids will be fine."

"Who is this other woman?" she asks as she stands up and confronts her son.  Her favorite son.  "Why?  Why would you do that to Dorothea and your family?"

"Ma...."

"I can't believe that you did this to your family." his mother breaks down, "Those poor babies, those poor babies."

"Carol, sit down."  Jon's dad tells his wife.  "Give him some breathing room, will ya."

Carol looks over at John and wants to snap, but she can't.  He's right, she was all up in Jon's face and that wasn't helping any.  She does as her husband suggests and sits back down.  She holds her head in her hands and cries.  "Who is this other woman?  Is it the doctor that treated your broken foot?"

"Yes."

"Oh my God, has it been going on this whole time?  Since you broke your foot?" she questions, still in complete shock.  She thought that Jon and Dorothea had the perfect marriage and the perfect life.

"Yes.  Her name is Olivia and I love her, ma." Jon sits next to her on the couch and takes her hand, "I love her and I have lost her."

"You have a wife."

"Ma...."

"Don't ma me, Jon.  You're married.  You can't love another woman." she's firm and let's him know that she is not happy with what he's saying and even less happy with what he's done.

"I don't love Dorothea.  I haven't in a very long time."

"Because of this damn doctor?"

"No."

"Son, does Dorothea know about Olivia?" his dad asks, trying to recall if he had seen any clues over the last two years. 

"Yes, she knows about her now."

"YOU TOLD HER?" his mother balks at him, "Please tell me you didn't tell her."

"I did ma, it was the right thing to do." Jon confesses to his mother, a little taken back by his parents reaction.  "I didn't want anything coming out in the divorce so I laid all my cards on the table."

"How did she take the news?" his mother needs to  know, knowing how she would react if her husband on forever cheated on her and told her as he filed for divorce.

Jon takes a deep breath and tells her, "I think she suspected that I was seeing someone.  She took it better than I thought."  he stands and walks into the kitchen.  With a glass of wine in his hand, "What's for dinner?"

"You can't change the subject like that Jonny.  What did Dorothea say when you told her?"

"It really wasn't all that dramatic ma.  I offered her a more than fair settlement and I think she will take it."

"So she's not going after everything?"

"I don't care if she takes it all."

"Whoa, wait a minute Jon, don't go thinking with your heart right now.  It's obvious that you are in a place where you shouldn't be making big decisions." his dad states, knowing how his son can be, or at least the thinks he knows.  John is getting upset as he thinks about all that his son and his children could lose if his divorce went horribly wrong.  He and Carol went through hell and watched their son practically kill himself to get where he is at.

"I fell in love with my mistress and now she wants nothing to do with me."

His mother looks up at him with surprise, "What happened there?"

"I treated her like shit." he admits, and he's not even embarrassed to admit it.  "I walked all over her and now that I can be with her, she wants nothing to do with me.  He plops down on the couch next to his mom and lets out another sigh.

"How did you keep this secret for so long?  Why wouldn't she go public?" his dad asked him, "There was nothing in the wind about her?"

"For one, she's a doctor, meaning she's intelligent and for two, she was in an airtight loophole contract."

"You had your mistress sign a contract?" his dad asks, with his voice a little higher.  "No wonder she doesn't want to be with you."

"Pops, she agreed to it."

"Did you have to pay her?" his mother interjects.

Laughing Jon says, "No, not really.  I bought her an apartment and a car."

"Is she a prostitute?" his mother questions, with a lump on her throat.

"Ma, she's a doctor with a very promising career.  I gave her the car and her apartment as payment for keeping our secret.  She could have went public, but she's not that way."

"And now you're alone." his dad had to throw that in there, "Are you happy now?"

"NO pops, I'm not.  I'm in love with a smart and beautiful woman and she wants nothing to do with me now."

"Why?" mom asks.

"I missed so many of her important things in her life like med school graduation and other things that she wanted me there for, she doesn't think that I will be able to do that in the future too."

"Have you talked to her about it?" John asks, hoping that too much damage hasn't been done.

"Yeah.  She just left my house."

"SHE WAS AT THE HOUSE?" barks his mother, "Jon Francis that's your marital home."

"Jesus ma, my marriage is over.  Dorothea has the kids in SoHo and I'm keeping the Jersey house, so she was in my house."

"But, Jonny."

"Ma, my marriage is over and I lost my soul mate because I treated her like an employee."  Mrs. B can see the sadness in her sons face and she can hear it in his voice. 

"If she's your soul mate, than what the hell are you doing here?" his dad asks, and it was that question that sparked something in Jon.

Jon looks at his dad and reads the look on his face, "You're right.  I have fought, clawed and kicked my way to where I am now - I guess maybe I need to do that to try to get Olivia back."  He downs his glass of wine, kisses his mother and hugs his dad.  "Thank you!'

"Where are you going?' his mom squawks at him, "What are you planning?"

"I'm going to Manhattan." and he is out the door, on his way to try one last time to prove to Olivia that he loves her and that he wants nothing more than to be with her.