The Marriage Act(78)

He gave her a knowing wink as if to tell her he was aware of her Freedom for All activities. Corrine’s throat bobbed as she swallowed. No, he couldn’t know. She had been too careful. She reassembled her face.

‘You were told the hearing would take at least three hours,’ she continued. ‘You can’t just walk out halfway through because you’re playing virtual golf.’

‘I can if I’m not contesting your bogus claims.’

Corrine looked to her lawyer and then to Mitchell again. ‘You’re not?’

‘No.’

‘When did you decide this?’

‘Life is too short, Corrine. Sometimes you need to take a step back and stop fighting battles that aren’t worth your effort. Today is one of those days. You don’t love me and I don’t love you. So let’s go our separate ways. And if the only way you believe you can do that is to conjure up lies about me, then be my guest.’

‘This isn’t you, Mitchell. What are you up to?’

‘It’s a new day and a new me. As we speak, my lawyer is filing a no contest plea, which means you will be divorced by . . .’ He looked at his watch, ‘Approximately two p.m. Let me know how it goes.’

‘Where will you be?’

‘I’ll be at the Guildhall Register Office applying for my Smart Marriage licence.’

‘Your what?’

‘You should really think about getting hearing implants. I said I’ll be applying for my Smart Marriage licence. Tomorrow afternoon, I’m getting married.’

Corrine laughed. ‘Don’t be so ridiculous. Who on earth will marry you?’

As if on cue, the lift doors behind him pinged and opened.

‘If I’m not mistaken,’ he continued without turning, ‘this is my bride-to-be.’

Corrine’s brows arched at the familiar face. It was Maisy, once her closest friend.





59


Anthony




There was no autonomous vehicle or Government operative to greet Anthony on his arrival at Euston station’s concourse this time.

Alone, he took the Northern Line tube south to Battersea Power Station before making the rest of the journey on foot to the office to which he had been summoned for the inaugural Young Citizen Camp project meeting. There, he scanned the exterior of the building, searching for a way to announce his presence. But there was no intercom, buzzer or even a security camera to flag his appearance. His knocks on the double doors went unanswered so he peered through the windows, only for his face to be reflected back at him.

Anthony took a step back and once again ordered his watch to call Hyde. He had lost count of the number of times he’d tried contacting him since being informed that Audite was placing him and Jada on Level One. Each time, he reached a ‘number not recognized’ alert. He had also attempted messaging him through the project’s internal servers, only for his screens to fade and a notification to appear informing him that he didn’t have permission to enter the system he had been a part of his whole working life. Hyde had been the only person he had liaised with, was managed by or answered to. Away from their heavily protected intranet, there was also no way of contacting anyone on his team. Hyde had ensured he was all Anthony had.

It was why, as a last resort, Anthony caught the Express train to London to confront him face-to-face. Once more, he knocked on the doors and waited, then repeated the action again, and again, and again until his frustration reached boiling point and he pounded them with his fists. Only when his hands throbbed did he give up, but not before yelling a string of obscenities into an empty courtyard. His voice ricocheted off the other buildings. Where was Hyde?

His eyes turned sharply to his vibrating watch and a voice note from Jada.

‘Someone from the bank has just called me,’ she began without pleasantries. ‘Not only do I have to pay back my start-up business loan within twenty-eight days, but I’m now paying business tax of thirty-five per cent and our mortgage is doubling. How can they do this when we’re still under the Marriage Act? We are going to lose everything if you don’t sort this out, and quickly.’

Anthony held his head in his hands. Severing ties with Hyde and transparency with Jada were supposed to have given him a fresh start. Instead, they were costing him dearly. He had to find another way to reach Hyde. Moments later, he knew where he could go next.





60


Corrine




‘Ah, there you are, darling,’ Mitchell said, slipping his arm around Maisy’s waist and drawing her towards him. They kissed on the lips.

Corrine did a double-take. It was the first time she had clapped eyes on her friend in more than eighteen months. Gone was her alcohol-induced bloat, bloodshot eyes, grey skin and unkempt appearance. This Maisy enjoyed a healthy glow, a flawless complexion and a stomach as flat as an ironing board.

‘Hello Corrine,’ Maisy began. ‘It’s been a while. Lovely to see you again.’

‘Maisy,’ Corrine said, perplexed. ‘What the hell’s going on?’

‘Hasn’t Mitchell told you? I’m marrying him tomorrow. Exciting, isn’t it?’

‘Don’t be so ridiculous. Of course you’re not.’ Corrine wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it despite there being no humour in the moment. She searched Mitchell and Maisy’s faces for signs it was a joke. ‘Oh my God, you’re serious, aren’t you?’ Her mind raced. ‘Why . . . how?’