He stared at her, horrified.“It was you.You sent that email from my account.You deleted the voicemails.You—God—did you forge her signature on the annulment?”
Her mouth twitched.
“I never meant for you to hate her,” she whispered.
“But I did,” he said, voice like gravel.“For twenty years.”
He turned and walked away, the courtroom doors closing behind him like the end of a sentence.His mother called after him, “Dustin!”
But he didn’t turn around.
The truth wasn’t clean.It wasn’t noble.It was wrapped in manipulation and dressed in pearls.
And now, the woman sitting across the aisle from him in court, the one he’d loved with his whole stupid heart, had suffered just as much as he had because of the same person.
His mother.
Chapter9
Nicole had seen her the moment she walked into the courtroom.
The witch herself.Mrs.Masterson.
She sat in the gallery like a queen in exile, pearls gleaming at her throat, hair lacquered into submission.Regal, controlled, watching every move Nicole made.And though she hadn’t spoken, Nicole had felt the silent verdict in her eyes: unworthy.Always unworthy.
At the end of the day, she saw the witch talking to Tripp.Good.She didn’t want to speak to her ever again, if she could help herself.She walked down the hall to her office, dropped off some paperwork, checked phone messages, then headed out the door to the parking lot.Time to get out of here.
She lugged her briefcase, files, and marched toward the parking lot.
Then she froze.
Mrs.Masterson was there.Waiting.Perfectly poised beside Nicole’s car as if she had every right to be standing guard.
Nicole’s stomach tightened.Ambush.
She squared her shoulders and kept her tone clipped.“Excuse me.You’re standing by my car.”
The older woman didn’t budge.“Nicole, we need to talk.”
The sound of her name in that tone was a lash across the skin.Nicole crossed her arms.“About what?I have nothing to say to you.You got what you wanted twenty years ago.You broke Tripp and me apart.”
Mrs.Masterson sighed, the picture of weary patience.“What’s in the past should remain there.Digging it up serves no one.”
Nicole barked a short laugh.“That’s convenient.Sweep the wreckage under the rug and pretend it never happened?Tell me, are you afraid Tripp will be angry when he finds out you interfered?Or is this really about you being terrified we might find our way back to each other?”She leaned closer, eyes narrowed.“Still not good enough for your precious son?”
Mrs.Masterson’s smile didn’t falter, but her eyes sharpened.“You mistake me.My only concern has ever been Tripp’s happiness.And frankly, you were never suited to the life he deserves.You were… how shall I put it?A distraction.Pretty enough.Ambitious.But not the kind of woman who could build a future with him.”
The words sliced through Nicole, hot and merciless.She forced herself to stand straighter, though her fists itched to clench.“And who decides what kind of woman is worthy?You?”
Mrs.Masterson’s lips curved faintly, an almost pitying smile.“He’s dating someone now.A young woman from a very fine family.Educated.Polished.She understands him.She belongs in his world.”
The splinter lodged deeper.Tripp hadn’t mentioned anyone, but the fact that his mother was flaunting it felt like a deliberate blow.
Nicole laughed, sharp and brittle.“You are afraid.Well, let me put your fears to rest.I don’t want Tripp or his baggage, which includes you.I have a good life, one I built without your approval or your money.”Her voice cracked with steel.“Sad, isn’t it?Once, I loved your son more than life itself.But that’s long gone.Now, we’re just two lawyers battling in court.Nothing more.And your son sure doesn’t look happy to me.”
For the briefest moment, Mrs.Masterson’s smile faltered, her mask slipping before sliding neatly back into place.“Good.Because Tripp deserves peace.Stability.Not someone who brings… drama in her wake.”
Nicole bristled.“You mean not someone who ever dared love him on her own terms.”
