Page 125 of At His Beck & Call

I’m about to tell her that Noah helped to uncover the truth, and then my heart lurches at the thought that she might date him now that she’s free of me.

Jesus, I fucking hate this.

“Anyway, we laid it out for him clearly and simply, and he knows he can’t pull this shit. If he takes you to court, he’s committed perjury. And it’s not only that—he lied to you about his financial situation, which probably means your child support payments have been significantly smaller than they should have been.”

“I don’t care about any of that,” she says firmly. “I mean, thank you. I’m grateful, of course. But what happens with Henry?”

“You keep full custody,” I say, as her shoulders slump in relief.

“Oh my God!” she says, her mouth spreading into a stunning smile as happy tears fill her eyes.

She steps forward, her arms outstretched toward me. Even if someone saw us, I could easily explain away a hug after such a momentous meeting, but I recoil from her anyway.

Slowly, her arms lower, the smile fading.

“He won’t pursue custody again,” I say quickly, picking up the files again like a shield. “The original custody terms are retained. Your protective order stands. He won’t be able to violate it again without the full weight of the law coming down on him.”

Her eyes are searching as she stares at me, lips thin as her gaze runs over my face. I look away.

I am such a fucking coward.

“You’re… you’re going to keep representing me, then?” she asks, hesitation in her tone.

This is for the best.

“I am—unless you’d rather have someone else do it. There are quite a few excellent lawyers here who could handle the case.”

She sucks in a sharp breath, scratching at her wrist as she looks at the door. I feel as if I’m going to melt into the floor where I’m standing.

“James is going to cover the cost of Henry’s treatment,” I force out. “The insurance policy will be activated, and you’ll be compensated for any money you’ve spent so far.”

I clear my throat, staring at a small stain on the table in the center of the room, trying to keep my voice steady.

“You can stay on at AGS for as long as you wish, until you find a new job. I’m sure you’d prefer to work somewhere else—given the circumstances.”

“The circumstances…” she snaps, and the anger I’ve so rarely seen on her face is back in full force.

“It’s best if you don’t work for me as the divorce goes through,” I barrel on, getting the words out while I can still get air into my lungs. “It makes sense.”

I step back in alarm as she advances on me, her eyes flashing, lip curling into a snarl. She’s such a petite woman, but in that moment, I feel as if she towers above me, the strength of her rage like a physical slap across the face.

“It makes sense, does it?” she bites out, her finger coming up to point at my chest. “I’m so glad that you’ve wrapped this all up and put a nice little bow on it,Mr. Heath,” she says as I lean away from her, my back meeting the cold glass window behind me.

Lissa’s eyes are wet with unshed tears.

“You’re a coward,” she murmurs bitterly, and that final blow is all I can take. I know this is the way things have to be; itdoesn’tmake sense for her to stay, but the reality of knowing she’s going to leave, that I won’t ever see her again, is agonizing.

My hand reaches blindly for the handle of the door as I sidestep her, walking out of the room without a word.

Stepping into the hallway, I head to my office. My breath comes out in short, sharp pants as I walk quickly, my chest aching.

As I reach my doorway, Adelaide asks me something mundane that I can’t focus on, and I wave her off, stumbling into my office, collapsing against the door after I close it.

I haven’t felt like this since I was a teenager. The agony of losing Lissa is staggering. I want to shake it off and pull myself together, but no matter how much my inner voice screams at me to get up, be a man, sounding more like my father with every word, I can’t do it.

I remain there, sagging against the door, as I stare blankly at the room we’ve spent so many wonderful hours in.

Looking at the toys on the shelves, the pleasure chaise, my gut burns with anger.