James had filed an alienation of affection lawsuit against Leo. The lawyer explained that in North Carolina, it was a recognized civil claim handled in the county Superior Court civil filings division. James was legally claiming that Leo had intentionally interfered with their marriage. James was claiming Leo had caused Olivia to leave him.
James was trying to turn Olivia’s escape into a betrayal, and Leo’s protection into a punishable offense.
"That is absurd," Olivia said, her voice trembling as she leaned over the counter. "They cannot do this. James is the one who lied to me. James is the one who stole from our marital funds. James is the one who has been sleeping with Amanda for months!"
The lawyer paused. When he spoke, his tone was dead serious. "Olivia, can you prove the affair?"
Olivia froze.
Her mind violently snapped back to the master bedroom. To James scrambling for a duvet, panic flashing in his eyes. To the heavy smell of perfume, the smug curve ofAmanda’s lips, the sharp crack of the slap, and the way James had instantly reached out to check on his mistress before looking at his wife.
She knew what she saw.
But knowing was not the same thing as proving.
Her throat tightened. She could not look at Leo when she realized the glaring hole in her defense.
Leo stepped closer to the phone, answering for her. His voice was tightly controlled, though the strain bled through the edges. "We haven't had any luck securing hard proof yet."
He explained to the lawyer that, aside from the work trips James and Amanda took together, there was nothing solid tying them romantically outside of the office. The trips alone did not prove infidelity; James could easily excuse them as business travel. The private investigator had not yet found hotel records in both their names, unauthorized messages, or a financial trail that explicitly linked them.
"But the PI is still working," Leo added, his jaw tight. "No one carries on an affair for that long without leaving a trace somewhere. We will find something."
The lawyer agreed, but he warned them they needed to be exceedingly careful. He laid out the next steps in clear, blunt terms:
James filing the lawsuit does not guarantee he will win. A complaint is filed based on allegations; proving those allegations in court is another matter. Leo will need to be formally served by the court. Once served, Leo’s attorney will officially respond to the complaint.
They must preserve every text message, call log, photo, document, security record, and communication that establishes a timeline.
Olivia must not communicate with James alone under any circumstances.
Leo must not contact James directly.
They must avoid giving James any ammunition that helps him claim Leo is controlling or isolating Olivia.
The fact that Olivia is currently staying at Leo’s house gives James a narrative to exploit, even if the truth is that Leo only offered her shelter after James destroyed her life.
If they could prove James’s affair, his financial misconduct, and his deliberate manipulation of Olivia’s friends, it would severely weaken the story he was trying to build in court. But right now, James held the cards.
The lawyer also reminded them that the signature issue remained a massive complication. Because the handwriting experts believed the signatures were physically Olivia’s, it was no longer a simple forgery case. They had to investigate whether James had misrepresented documents, attached signature pages to different paperwork, or manipulated her into signing things she did not understand. The threat to her bakery and her assets was still very real.
They were not without options, the lawyer assured them. But they desperately needed evidence.
After a few more practical instructions, the call ended.
Silence descended on the kitchen, heavy and suffocating. The word lawsuit kept repeating on an endless, terrifying loop in Olivia’s head. Against Leo. Because of her.
As soon as the screen went dark, Olivia started pacing. The adrenaline hit her all at once, overwhelming and chaotic.
"This is insane," she gasped, her hands tangling in her hair. "He can't prove anything because there is nothing to prove! We are just friends! You took me in because I had nowhere else to go. And now he is trying to punish both of us for it!"
Leo stood near the island, tense and watchful, his eyes tracking her frantic movements. "Liv, breathe."
"He is doing this to scare me," Olivia continued, the words spilling out in fractured, breathless pieces. "He's doing it to punish me. To make me look guilty so nobody looks at what he did!"
"We will handle it," Leo said, keeping his voice steady.
"How?" Olivia asked, thoroughly frustrated. "People keep acting like there is something between us! Like I couldn't possibly have come to you just because I trusted you. Like a man cannot help a woman unless he wants something from her!"
