AVOX in France

"Oh my god! I never said that and I never talked to the newspapers. God, he's not my lover! This is terrible. How could they lie like that? My husband will never believe me now," she wailed and sobbed as they watched her break down.

"OK, we'll file your report and have the nurse check in on you when we leave, but you and Pierre's photos have been all over the papers and they reported your renewed relationship with him. So yes, we have your statement we're testing for drugs in your system, but you have to understand our position and the situation. You're not with your husband, and staying with the man that you said raped you, in the same room. How can we reach your husband? We would like to speak with him."

"He's back in America, and he has nothing to do with any of this, and I don't want him to find out. So, I'm not going to give you his information right now. I want to wait for the drug test results. Maybe then you'll believe me and press charges against that bastard who tried to ruin my life."

Just then the doctor came in and after seeing how upset Justine was at that moment, asked the Policeman to please leave the room.

The doctor took her hand and tried to calm her down, "Mrs. Creed, you've suffered a severe injury to your knee and will need surgery. We can schedule the surgery here if you like, or we can stabilize your leg to fly back to the USA if you prefer. But you will need to have it taken care of before any further damage is done."

As angry as she was about her injury, she was devastated about Martin seeing the photo and the words Pierre wrote. She wondered if Martin saw any of those reports in the papers about her and Pierre, she was sure he would never understand. When she tried calling Martin, he still wasn't taking her calls. She started to panic and realized that she was now alone. She called her dad and asked him for help. She explained what had happened and that Martin wasn't taking her calls and the photo that Pierre sent.

Her dad was apoplectic, and spit out his anger to his little girl over the phone.

"How could you do that to Martin, and why would you even consider speaking with that asshole Pierre after what he did to you. Baby, I can't begin to tell you how angry I am, and how disappointed you've made me. But I will get you on a flight home as soon as possible, and an appointment with a surgeon when you get back. I'll speak with your doctor and take care of everything. I'll call Martin and let him know what happened, and try to find out what he's thinking. But if I know him, you may have lost that man. What in God's name were you thinking?"

"Daddy, this was my chance to make it big. Just a 3-day trip to show my face and get the contracts signed. I had no intention of being with that bastard again, but the studio set everything up without my knowledge. I only found out at the last minute, and I never would have gone on that flight if I had an option. I should have known that asshole would screw up my life again, I never should have gone. Daddy, you have to believe me, I didn't do anything willingly, the bastard drugged me and I have to talk to Martin. He saw that photo and I know he'll never understand."

"I'll call him baby, try to relax. What he did isn't your fault, and I'll try to explain things to Martin. You shouldn't speak to Martin until I have a chance to explain what happened. We'll get you on a flight to NYC first thing tomorrow morning and surgery at NYU the next day. You'll be sedated and in no shape to talk to Martin right now. I just need you to relax and let me take care of you."

Two floors directly below Justine, Pierre realized that he was now an Avox, and wanted to find the attacker and kill him with his bare hands. He was upset and angry about his attack and was demanding the police find the attacker. He could only tell them that he only got a glance of a big man grabbing his hair and then nothing but blackness. The police tried not to laugh as he yelled at them because the absence of his tongue gave him an unintelligible lisp. For all the problems Pierre caused the police over the years, they didn't feel much empathy for the cocky, entitled man.

Aftermath

Justine's surgery went well, but the damage was severe and there would be a long recovery. After many months of physical therapy and lots of pain, she was able to walk without crutches or a cane, albeit with a small limp. The doctors said that a full recovery was likely but would take another year of exercise and physical therapy.

Carlos, her dad, did speak with Martin but was unable to reason with the big man. When Martin showed her dad the photo and text, her dad understood Martin's feelings.

"Carlos, I respect you and the love for your daughter. But look, she wanted this and treated me poorly for the last six months. No, this was planned, and she still went on the trip after I asked her not to go.

It's what she wanted, and I can't get the thought of that asshole fucking my wife out of my head. Maybe she was drugged, I get it, but if she hadn't gone, none of this would have happened. I just can't be with her right now, and I've already started a separation agreement. If we can't work it out, we'll be divorced in a year. I still love her but I can't trust her and I can't get the image of her on his bed out of my head."

"Marty, you never admitted to the attack on Pierre. I know it was you, even if you won't admit it and I'll never tell anyone. Doesn't that give you any satisfaction at all? Martin, please try to find a way to forgive her. I'm telling you, she never wanted that to happen."

Martin couldn't get over what had happened, and filed for separation. Even before Justine could travel back to Miami, Martin had already moved out of their home and into an apartment overlooking Biscayne Bay. He took what he wanted and left the home and furnishings to Justine with the separation papers when she returned from the hospital.

He had no intention of speaking with Justine. What he saw and knew was more than enough for him to rationalize his actions. The day he moved out he left a letter, the photos of her and Pierre together, along with his wedding ring and attorney's contact information.

The letter

Justine;

We both need time to heal. I understand what happened and I'm sorry for your pain and situation, but you made your own choices which led to those events, and you now must live with the results of your decisions. We both know that you should never have been alone with him in his hotel room in the first place. There was no reason to celebrate your success with him, alone in his bedroom. I told you I had a bad feeling about the trip and to say home, but you left on that trip against my will and without considering the consequences.

The separation agreement I've left you gives us one year to heal and decide our future. If you want to end things sooner, let my attorney know, and I'll have my attorney fast-track the divorce. I do love you, which makes this so much more painful as I never thought I would see you with another man. Yes, I know you were drugged, but that photo shows you so happy and satisfied in his bed. I just can't get that out of my head. I should delete the photo, but every time I think about calling you or trying to work things out, I force myself to look at you in his bed, and then all the pain comes rushing back and why we're apart.

I'm not ready to talk to you, so if you need something, please reach out to my attorney. His card is included with the papers, and you will be taken care of financially during our separation. I'm going to try my best to forgive, forget, and get past all this damn pain.

Martin

— — — —

Justine's thoughts

Everything he said was true, and now I've lost him. He's right, I should never have been alone in Pierre's hotel room. My own hubris made me believe I was smart and in control, but now I know how stupid and gullible I was. He knows I was drugged, and deep down, he has to know I never would cheat on him, but that photo of me in his bed must have really been painful to see. I can't imagine what seeing me like that does to him, and I'll never forgive Pierre for that. What's worse is that the asshole never got arrested for rape and is still a free-man. At least he felt some pain from Marty's attack.

I need to thank Martin for that, if he'll ever speak to me again. I'll give him time, but I'm not giving up on us. I know he loves me, and if I can just get him to talk to me, I know he'll take me back.

I thought the Hollywood contract was going to be the pinnacle of my success, but it's turned out to be anything but that. If I had just stayed home and gave up this dream, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have gotten injured, Pierre would be a distant memory, and I'd have my husband back in bed with me. Now, all I have is pain, loneliness, and regret. I wish my pain would go away and my tears would stop, but every morning they both return. I want my husband and life back, and I'm not giving up. I'll keep reaching out to him until he finally takes my call and talks to me.

French Police

The French Police were angry and humiliated by all the press and how the attacker got away. Of course, the hotel's security cameras got a visual of the big man entering the hotel, but the hoodie and Covid mask the attacker wore made him unidentifiable.

Finally, there was no direct evidence tying Martin to the attack, but the airline record showing his flight schedule, along with the motive from his wife's affair was strong circumstantial evidence, which they felt was enough to convict Martin Creed.

Their problem was that Martin was back in the USA, and they would need to extradite him to France to press charges. But Carlos, Justine's Dad, would have none of that and used his connections and money to get the attorneys to quash the extradition. Carlos hated Pierre as much as Martin, and wanted to keep Martin safe and secure with the hope that he would reconcile with his daughter. The only downside for Martin was that he could not visit France for the next 7 years without the chance of being arrested. Martin was more than happy with that stipulation, because he had no desire to ever visit that country again. He was ecstatic that he survived the situation and thanked Carlos warmly and promised to keep hope of their reconciliation alive.

Three months later

When the story first broke there was sympathy from Pierre's fans, but his cheating ways came out, along with the details on all the marriages he broke up. He eventually became a pariah, Justine was the Jezebel, and Martin became the victim.

Eventually, the media skewered Pierre and he became a laughingstock. There were YouTube and Instagram videos of him trying to talk without a tongue, which sounded comical. Then there were the hundreds of memes making fun of his Golden Tongue reputation. His fame had a cost. He lost his brand, was humiliated, lost his ability to speak, and was never going to be the predatory animal he was before all this happened.

Justine was now living alone in her big house. She lost her contract with MGM Studios because of all the negative press. The injury from the accident limited her dance and impacted her teaching. On top of that, the business suffered from the publicity of cheating on her husband. She became a mere shadow of her former self.

Depressed and alone she tried desperately to get Martin to come home and rip up the separation agreement. She lost count of how many times she called and apologized to his voicemail, and the hundreds of text messages begging for forgiveness. Her dad even had several conversations with Martin, but deep down understood his decision to take some time apart. He respected Martin and just hoped for reconciliation.

Over the next year, Martin took over dad's company and spent 12-14 hours a day working and growing the business his dad started. Dad was now retired, and at 93 enjoyed his time with his much younger 89-year-old wife Millie.

1 Year Later

After being alone for the entire year, Martin finally accepted that Justine was a victim, and he wanted to find a way to get her back into his life. He missed her laugh, her smile, her touch, and her soft kisses. He still loved her deeply and wanted her back in his life.

Yes, she left on that trip against his will, and it still angered him because if she had listened to him, they would still be together. But, deep down in his soul, he knew she never would have cheated on him without being drugged by Pierre. He wanted to see her again, and she happily agreed to meet for dinner the following Friday at Mario's Garden, their favorite restaurant. Coincidently, that happened to be the night of their anniversary. In another month, they would be separated for 1 year and the divorce would become final. Martin needed this one date to see if there was any chance for a reconciliation and a future together.

Friday Night

Martin got there early with 18 roses, met the owner, Mario Carducci, and explained his situation. He told Mario that tonight could mark the start of their life together again. He explained that it was their anniversary and if things went well, he would like Mario to deliver the roses to Justine after he gave Mario a wave after dinner. Mario, being the romantic, loved the idea and was all in on helping his old friend and longtime customer.

At 8 PM, he saw Justine walking into the restaurant. His heart pounded in his chest when he saw the woman he still loved for the first time in a year and realized how much he missed her. He noticed her slight limp from the accident, but quickly looked into her eyes and engulfed her tiny body with a strong overwhelming hug that lasted for over a minute. Justine looked up at him with tears in her eyes as they went to their table.

Over two bottles of wine they both expressed their regrets for what happened, and by the end of dinner they knew they were meant to be together. The dinner was going to be the final meeting to discuss their future, but neither of them knew how it would end but hoped for the best. The best outcome was that they forget the past year, and start again.

Justine gave Martin an odd look when he waved over to Mario, who was hovering around their table all night. Moments later, Mario arrived with the roses, handing them to Justine.

"Happy Anniversary, Justine. I've missed you so much and I want you back in my life."

Justine broke into tears as the tables nearby watched the action. With her head in her hands sobbing, Martin walked over and raised her from her chair and kissed her deeply as the other guests in the restaurant clapped, and several women let out soft moans. It was a romantic love scene that many of them would never forget.

After Justine got her composure and released Martin from her tight hug, they went to the bar for an after-dinner drink. They kissed and they hugged in the bar for over an hour, and she agreed to go back to his apartment that night, and start where they left off a year earlier.

It was the happiest time for both of them since that dreadful trip to France, but they now knew they would survive the storm and be together forever. Justine's depression was gone and Martin smiled for the first time in over a year. All he wanted was to hold Justine and make love to the woman he adored and missed so deeply.

As they walked out of the restaurant holding hands, a man wearing a raincoat approached the couple and bumped into them almost intentionally. Martin towering over the man gave him an angry glare until he saw the chrome-plated pistol. A second later he heard a loud noise before waking up in the hospital after surgery.

Tragedy

Over the last year, Pierre had been overwhelmed with hate and needed revenge for the way Martin destroyed his life. He could not handle being laughed at in public, rebuffed by all the ladies, and could no longer find work. The humiliation was more than he could handle and he hired a PI to get intel on Martin. When he learned of their dinner he put his plan into motion. Getting a gun off the streets was easy, waiting outside the restaurant was exhilarating as he was about to get his revenge.

When he saw them leaving together, he timed it perfectly and walked right into the big man, jolting him to stop. He saw the angry face of the man he was about to enact his revenge upon. Pierre looked into his eyes until he was sure Martin recognized him, and then pulled the trigger placing a .44 slug directly into his stomach, for maximum pain and a slow death.

Justine wailed when she saw Martin collapse to the ground and tried to stop the bleeding as she screamed for an ambulance. Pierre fled the scene but didn't get far as the police tracked him down within the hour after Justine told them who the shooter was.

They took Martin in for surgery and removed the bullet but couldn't stop the bleeding. After three hours the surgeon came out and told Justine that it was touch and go. With blood transfusions, Martin made it back to recovery where they let Justine be with him for what turned out to be their last time together.

She held and kissed him sweetly whispering in his ears. "I love you so much, please don't leave me. I can't live without you. I've waited a year to get you back, and I won't let you ever leave me again."

Martin opened his eyes, smiled, and only had the strength to whisper the words, "I love you, Justine." When their eyes met she felt her heart break knowing the only man she ever loved was about to die. In her mind, it was all her fault, and the guilt was ripping her apart. She kissed his lips and hugged him as tears fell from her face. The last thing Martin remembered before he passed was the taste of her sweet lips and her warm tears on his face. The only blessing that day was that Martin passed with a smile on his face and was completely at peace.

When she broke the kiss, she realized he was gone. Her man, her love, her rock, her reason to live had just passed over. She collapsed on top of him, hugging him, and sobbing uncontrollably as her dad, who was now standing next to her, rubbed her shoulder.

She cried out, "Marty, I'm so sorry. I love you so much, please forgive me. I'll always love you, baby." She wouldn't let go and there wasn't a dry eye in the room. After a few minutes, two of the nurses pulled her off Martin and gave her a sedative to calm her down.

Epilogue

Six months after the funeral, and after a long public trial, Pierre was convicted of murder in the 1st degree. Because it was premeditated, he was given a life sentence. The state wanted the death sentence, but the judge denied the request. All the luxury and fame he once enjoyed were now history, and he would spend the remainder of his days in state prison, working in the laundry, with only one hour a day outdoors. It was a hard sentence for him because the pretty boy became a sex toy for several of the prisoners who had nothing to lose.

Because of his hubris, and sending that photo to Martin, his wonderful life had become a living hell. The media and Hollywood turned on him and his antics and they all stopped any support he enjoyed before his conviction. Pierre, the lady's man, was now the prison bitch. He was passed around and traded like a piece of meat. His good looks and slender body made him extremely desirable behind the prison walls.

Over the years, Pierre had no less than 18 boyfriends that he had to service to stay alive. The golden tongued predator had become the prison slut. Several years after being used daily, he came down with full-blown AIDS and suffered a long painful death. His decision to cuckold Martin that fateful morning turned his dream life into a living nightmare of untold proportions.