Ryan’s exhale was slow. “So what does that mean?”
Aelin moved to the side and whispered “hello” to Amaya as she slipped into the house. “He has proof.”
“How? Did someone in your family?—”
“No, no. He has my text messages.”
“What the hell?”
She let out a sardonic laugh. “Exactly. He’s filed new motions. He’s attacking my character and ability to be a fit mother.” She drew in a sharp breath.
“So he's sending you a message,” Ryan said.
“Yeah. He will drag this out as long as possible. He'll make both me and Bailey suffer. And there's nothing I can do about it.”
“Unless?” Ryan glanced up and met her eyes.
“Unless I give him what he wants.”
“Which is?”
Blood rushed in her ears. “To win.”
Ryan tapped his fingers on the car. “What does it mean when Clark wins?”
“It means I don't see you. It means I let him sell the house.”
“And what about Bailey?”
Aelin scoffed. “He doesn't give a shit about Bailey. My lawyer and I both think that if I pretend to bend over, that will be enough to satisfy his sadistic ego. Prove that I’m stable and a fit mother, but give him what he wants. But that means I have toplay Subservient Aelin until the nineteenth.”Three weeks.She could do anything for three weeks, couldn’t she?
Ryan nodded. “So that's the plan.”
She ran a hand through her hair. “Yeah, that's the plan. I'm going to start packing this week. I totally understand if you need to find something different for Amaya if you don't want her to be here during all of this.”
“That’s ridiculous. It’s not going to hurt her to see you packing.”
Aelin sighed. “Yeah, but we won’t be able to do as much.”
Ryan shrugged. “Pretty sure the girls are happy to just hang out. Any leads on a place yet?”
Aelin shook her head. “No. I found an apartment complex in the northwest that only requires a month-to-month lease. I'll put what we can in storage, sell the rest, and then rent a place until we can find something permanent.” She curled her toes against the welcome mat. “I know that location isn't going to be nearly as convenient for you, but I'll figure this out until the girls go back to school in September. I can pick her up?—”
“Aelin, I don't want you to worry about my convenience.”
She swiped a hand over her cheeks. “I'm just sorry. I know you didn't sign up for this.” She watched him, and some small piece of her started to thaw. She sniffed and drew a deep breath. “Okay, I need to get going so I can get breakfast going.”
“Wait, how did he get your actual texts?”
Aelin threw out a hand. “I have no idea, Ryan. I’ve called my phone company?—”
“Did he ever have your phone? Like open and in his possession?”
Aelin froze. Her mind immediately snapped back to Canada Day. That moment on the hill. “Yes. For about a minute. Why?”
“Because I was considering getting Amaya a phone for Christmas. I saw a few apps that you could install that don’t show up on the phone screen, but that give you a readout of all the messages and emails?—”
“Holy shit.” Aelin dropped to a crouch on the welcome mat, forcing air into her lungs. What had she sent via email to her lawyer? Who had she texted? That guy Colin she’d gone out with had texted her a couple of times while they’d been gone. Thankfully her phone had been off for the week, butwhat else had she sent?
