LOGINThe call from the property manager came Thursday afternoon. "Ms. Morgan, I have good news. Your application has been approved. You can move in as early as this weekend if you'd like." I sat down on Jessica's couch, phone pressed to my ear, trying to process. "This weekend?" "Yes. We just need first month, last month, and security deposit. Once that clears, the apartment is yours." "I'll transfer the money today." "Perfect. I'll email you the lease agreement. Sign it and return it by tomorrow, and we can schedule your move-in for Saturday morning." We hung up and I sat there staring at nothing. I had an apartment. My own space. A place that wasn't Jessica's spare room or the penthouse I'd shared with Damon. A place that was completely, entirely mine. Jessica came out of her bedroom. "Who was that?" "The property manager. I got the apartment." Her face lit up. "Eve, that's amazing!" "I can move in Saturday." "That's two days away. Do you have furniture? Boxes? Anything?"
Lara: Refusing to communicate with counsel is only going to make this harder for you. I strongly suggest you retain your own attorney immediately. I didn't respond. Just put the phone down and looked at the divorce papers spread across my desk. Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. The words that were supposed to end everything. But I wasn't going to let them. I wasn't going to sign, or cooperate or make this easy. If Eve wanted a divorce, she was going to have to fight me for it. And I was going to fight back with everything I had. Not because I wanted to hurt her. But because I needed her to understand that I wasn't giving up. That I was still here. That I still loved her. That our marriage was worth fighting for even if she didn't believe that anymore. Marcus was still standing there. "What are you going to do now?" "I'm going to call my own lawyer. File a response contesting the divorce. Make this as complicated as legally possible." "That's a terrible idea..." "
The process server showed up at my office Tuesday morning at nine thirty. I was in a meeting with the acquisition team when my assistant knocked on the door. "Mr. Sterling, there's someone here to see you. Says it's urgent." "I'm in a meeting..." "He says it's legal. That you need to sign for something." I exchanged a look with Marcus across the table. "Give me five minutes," I said to the team. "We'll resume after." I walked out to the reception area where a man in his forties was standing with a manila envelope. "Damon Sterling?" "Yes." "You've been served." He handed me the envelope and a clipboard. "Sign here confirming receipt." I stared at the envelope. At my name typed across the front in bold letters. My hand didn't want to move. Didn't want to take it. Didn't want to make this real. "Sir, I need you to sign." I took the pen and scrawled my signature. The man nodded, tore off a copy, and left. I stood there holding the envelope, feeling the weight of it. K
I stared at the message. Unknown: Eve, this is Catherine. We need to talk about what you're doing to my son. This divorce nonsense has to stop. Of course. Catherine Sterling, now using unknown numbers to reach me because I'd blocked everything else. Fighting Sophia's battles for her. I should have been surprised, but I wasn't. This was exactly the kind of thing she'd do. Reach out on Sophia's behalf, frame it as concern for Damon, make it seem like I was the problem. I deleted the message without responding. Blocked that number too. Set my phone face down on the table and tried to breathe through the anger building in my chest. They weren't going to leave me alone. Not Sophia. Not Catherine. Not any of them. They were going to keep pushing, keep reaching, keep trying to control the narrative until I either broke or gave them what they wanted. But I wasn't breaking. Not anymore. I'd already survived the worst of it. The lawsuit. The humiliation. The marriage falling apa
My phone buzzed again, and this time I didn’t need to look to know it was her. There was a certain timing to these things. A way the past crept back in right when everything else was already falling apart. Still, I reached for it. Unknown number. I opened the message. It’s Mom. We need to talk. I stared at it longer than I should have, like the words might rearrange themselves into something easier to deal with if I gave them enough time. Mom. Which made it worse. Because if it had been anyone else, I could have ignored it without thinking twice. I could have blocked the number, moved on, kept my focus exactly where it needed to be. But my mother had always had a way of getting under my skin without even trying. Of making everything feel heavier than it already was. I locked my phone and set it down beside me. No response. Not tonight. I had already asked my husband for a divorce. Already made it clear I wasn’t changing my mind. Already dealt with Sophia reminding me ex
Lara Jean called at four thirty PM. I was in Jessica’s bathroom throwing up for the third time that day when my phone rang. Jessica answered it for me. “It’s Lara Jean,” she called through the door. “She says it’s urgent.” I rinsed my mouth, wiped my face, and took the phone. “What happened?” “The lawsuit’s been dropped.” I sat down on the edge of the bathtub. “What?” “Sophia’s lawyer just called me. They’re withdrawing everything. No settlement, no charges, no psychiatric evaluation. It’s completely dropped.” “Why?” “She wouldn’t say exactly. Just that her client decided not to pursue legal action at this time.” I should have felt relieved. Should have felt grateful. Should have felt anything other than the heavy, creeping suspicion settling deep in my bones. “At this time,” I repeated slowly. “Meaning she could change her mind.” “Technically yes, but Eve, the deadline passed. They can’t just file again whenever they want. There are limits, procedures.” “So what does t
Day three of living with Sophia and I was already considering murder.She'd been perfect, of course. Sweet and apologetic and staying mostly in her wing like she'd promised.Which made it worse somehow, because I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.It dropped on Wednesday morning.I came into t
She could... she could stay just until the test happens and we know for sure. That way she has support but we're not...it wouldn't be..." He trailed off but the damage was done. "You want her to move in," I said, my voice hollow. "Just temporarily, just until..."
The day Sophia moved in, I woke up with a knot in my stomach that wouldn't go away.Damon was already awake, staring at the ceiling."You don't have to be here when she arrives," he said quietly. "You could go to work, come back later...""No, this is my home. I'm not hiding.""I didn't mean...""I
The call came from Damon's mother three days after Sophia sent the medical records.Catherine Sterling's voice was cold and clipped when Damon put her on speaker."We need to have a family meeting," she said. "This situation with Sophia and the baby needs to be addressed properly.""There's nothing







