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2026-04-10 22:15:20
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DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 136
The notification arrived at 9:17 in the morning.I remembered the exact time because it was the moment my day started going to hell.Not that it had been going particularly well before then.I sat at my desk reviewing yet another report about declining investor confidence when my attorney called.The second I saw his name on my phone, irritation immediately settled in my chest.Lately, every conversation with him involved a new problem.A new complication.A new fire that needed extinguishing.I answered anyway.“What now?”There was a brief pause.Never a good sign.“The court approved the motion.”My eyes remained on the report in front of me.“What motion?”“The hearing.”I frowned.Then looked up.“What about it?”Another pause.Longer this time.“The judge agreed to move it forward.”For several seconds, I said nothing.The words didn’t immediately register.Not because they were complicated.Because they were unexpected.“Forward?”“Yes.”“How far?”His answer came immediately.
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 135
JoanThe courthouse looked exactly the same.I hated that.The same stone steps.The same glass doors.The same flags fluttering in the wind.The same people moving in and out as though lives weren’t being changed inside every single day.The same place where I’d lost Kai.I stood at the bottom of the steps for several seconds, staring up at the building.My stomach churned.My palms felt cold.My chest felt tight.And suddenly I was right back there.Standing outside the courtroom.Watching Dean walk away with my son.Watching Kai look back at me.Watching my entire world collapse.A warm hand touched the small of my back.Not pushing.Not steering.Just there.Grounding me.I looked sideways.Brandon stood beside me.Dark coat.Hands in his pockets.Expression calm.Steady.The same expression he’d worn every time I’d nearly fallen apart over the past few weeks.“You okay?”The question was quiet.Simple.I appreciated that he never asked if I was sure.Never asked if I wanted to le
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 134
The first time I realized I might have underestimated Joan, I dismissed the thought immediately.The second time, I couldn’t.By the third, I was throwing a crystal paperweight across my office.The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room.Nobody spoke.Nobody moved.My executive assistant stood frozen near the door.My legal team sat around the conference table looking like they’d rather be anywhere else.Smart people.All of them.Smart enough to know when to keep their mouths shut.Especially around me.I stared at the television mounted on the wall.The news anchor continued speaking.Calm.Professional.Completely unaware that she was one sentence away from becoming personally responsible for my migraine.“…additional allegations regarding financial misconduct have surfaced this morning…”I muted the television.Immediately.Because if I heard the phrase financial misconduct one more time, I was going to break something else.The room fell silent.My jaw clenched.My pu
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 133
For several seconds after Victor spoke, nobody moved.Nobody breathed.Nobody said a word.The room that had felt almost victorious only moments ago suddenly seemed much smaller.Much quieter.My heart was pounding hard enough that I could hear it.Dean just made his move.The sentence repeated itself inside my head.Again.And again.And again.“What move?”The question left my mouth before I could stop it.Victor looked toward me.Then Brandon.Then back to me.For a moment, I genuinely thought he wasn’t going to answer.The old man had an irritating habit of withholding information for dramatic effect.Unfortunately, this didn’t look like one of those moments.This looked worse.Finally, Victor exhaled.“He called a press conference.”I blinked.Then blinked again.“A what?”“A press conference.”For several seconds I simply stared at him.Waiting for the rest.When it didn’t come, I frowned.“That’s it?”Victor’s eyebrows rose.“That’s it?”“Victor, you made it sound like he decla
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 132
The first time I destroyed Dean’s life, I almost didn’t do it.That realization annoyed me.Not because I regretted it.Because I’d spent so much of my marriage second-guessing myself that it had become instinct.Even now, with everything he’d done, there was still a small voice in the back of my mind asking if I was going too far.Then I’d remember Kai.And the voice would disappear.The dining table at Victor’s house had officially become our war room.Documents covered nearly every available surface.Financial records.Timelines.Evidence.Photographs.Witness statements.The occasional coffee stain.Victor sat at the head of the table looking disturbingly pleased with himself.Brandon sat beside me reviewing a folder for what felt like the tenth time.I sat between them staring at my laptop.The video was paused.Ready.Waiting.All I had to do was approve the release.That was it.One click.One decision.One bomb.The footage itself wasn’t illegal.Wasn’t fabricated.Wasn’t even
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 131
The evening air was cooler than I’d expected.Maybe it only felt that way because I’d spent the entire day buried beneath documents, spreadsheets, legal records, and enough evidence to destroy several people’s careers.Or maybe it was because it had been a long time since I’d gone for a walk without constantly looking over my shoulder for Kai.That thought hit me the moment Brandon and I stepped into Lincoln Park.The familiar pathway stretched ahead of us beneath rows of trees, and for a second, I wasn’t seeing the present.I was seeing Kai.A much smaller Kai.One with sticky fingers and ice cream smeared all over his face.A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.Brandon glanced sideways.“What?”I shook my head.“Nothing.”He gave me a look that clearly said he didn’t believe me.Unfortunately, he knew me well enough these days to recognize when I was lying.The realization should’ve bothered me.Instead, it felt strangely comforting.I looked ahead again.Toward the ice cream s
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 128
A week after the hearing, I still woke up every morning expecting to hear Kai.It happened before I was fully conscious.Before reality had the chance to catch up with me.I’d open my eyes and listen for the familiar sounds of him shuffling around his room, talking to his dinosaurs, or yelling from
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 127
For several seconds after reaching the office door, I simply stood there.My hand hovered near the handle while my heart hammered painfully against my ribs.I could still turn around.I could still go back upstairs.Climb into bed.Pretend none of this had happened.Pretend Joan had never approache
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 126
The first thing I noticed after Kai moved in wasn’t that Dean seemed happier.It was that Kai seemed miserable.I tried not to think it.Tried not to acknowledge it.Tried not to compare the little boy sitting quietly at our dining table to the one I’d occasionally seen around Joan.But the differe
DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG 125
Three days after I recorded Madeline’s conversation at the mall, I found myself standing in front of a coffee shop wondering if life had always enjoyed mocking me this much.Because through the glass window, seated at a corner table with a cup of tea in front of her, was Madeline.Alone.I stopped
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