Ivy watched Heath stand up and head into her apartment again. “Before I go, where do you keep this medication? I’ll bring it to you. Take it and if you can’t get an appointment with the doctor who prescribed it, then we’ll get a referral to someone who will actually do something about managing your pain.” “Heath, I didn’t ask for your help.” “How are you supposed to be at your best if you can barely get around Ivy? That’s no way to live.” “Please stop it, Heath. I’ve talked to the doctor and there’s nothing that can be done. It’s too late.” “In this modern era? I highly doubt it. It sounds like a cop out on part of the doctor. He’s either unwilling to keep up on research and technology or he’s gaslighting you. I lean towards the gaslighting. Now, if we’re going to co-parent, you need to be able to pull your weight, and you don’t do that if you’re in crippling pain.” Ivy wasn’t sure how she was supposed to argue with this. She coul
“Ivy, I did no such thing, and you know it. I asked you to explain the photos and who that was. You have to admit they were convincing.” “No, they weren’t convincing because I don’t know where those were taken or who the guy was in those photos. I can’t even tell you who took the photos, for that matter.” “I didn’t know they were fakes back then, but I know they’re fakes now. At the time I only wanted to hear you say that it was a mistake and you only wanted me.” “I said I only wanted you, but I didn’t cheat on you, so I didn’t make a mistake.” “I know that now. Those photos didn’t change how I felt about you.” “Really? You could have fooled me, Heath.” “Do you need a demonstration about how I feel about you?” “Do you think that’s a smart or an appropriate question to ask at a time like this?” “Smart? No, but I’ve been dying to kiss you since I laid my eyes on you at the meet and greet.
Heath’s mind was on changing all his plans for the weekend. He had a son, now he had to figure out a way to explain this to everyone. His problem was Monica knew about Geoffrey. She’d already tried to use Geoffrey with him. Of course, it failed, but would she stop there? Monica was still involved heavily with his mother. The two were thick as thieves, in his estimation. Now he’d have to figure out what limits he’d set on his mother, because Ivy could set all the limits she wanted to for his mother and Heath knew his mother would ignore those limits. What about publicly? When the media found out about Geoffrey, it would end up with people following Geoffrey, Ivy, and his family. He’d have to plan for security for them at some point. With his driver taking him home, Heath busily made notes while he was in transit. There were many things he’d have to do, including buying a new car. How he’d find time for that would be a miracle. As s
“That’s crazy Heath. Of course you’ll stay here with me. Where would you live? You’re being silly and emotional.” Emotional? Only she could be emotional. No, Heath knew this was her way of controlling her world and the people in it. “I said no. I’m done with you. The only reason we married was because you claimed you were pregnant. Which you weren’t, and don’t lie about it. I have the proof. That’s fraud, Monica.” Heath never raised his voice or his hand to her. After what happened with Ivy, he would never yell at a woman again. But that didn’t mean he had to put up with be manipulated and made to feel like less of a person. “It wasn’t a lie. I really thought I was pregnant.” He didn’t buy that for a minute, not when she stood there as if she owned everything and him. Monica believed she had the upper hand if she acted like she had the upper hand. “You weren’t, and you knew it.” Monica had pressed the pregnancy issue with his parents rather
Heath drove for a while, thinking to himself. There was no way he could rent a hotel room because he’d fear Monica would find him and sick the paparazzi on him. If he wouldn’t call his father to try to find another property to stay at. His mother would find out and Monica would beat it over to that property to move in with him or again inform the paparazzi of his whereabouts. He knew she’d done it before. In her need to make him look like a villain, she’d called them on him when he started proceeding to divorce her. Before that, she’d called them on several of his social circle to get even for some imaginary slight.Roughly an hour later, Heath found a place to park near Ivy’s home and he walked up to her apartment door. He had to work his jaw in the elevator because he ground his teeth in anger at how easy it was for anyone to get to Ivy and Geoff. Heath knocked on the door and waited for the door to open. It didn’t. He could hear the clunk of a cane on the floor behind
“Did you move in alright? Is he accepting your excuses yet?” A deep male voice, thick with a Russian accent, demanded answers over the telephone line. The deep voice didn’t allow for any resistance. He wanted answers now, not excuses.“He was eating out of my hand before this, but not anymore. Now he’s turned on me and doesn’t want to hear anything I have to say. I don’t know where to go from here.” Monica griped, wanting to be told what she was doing wrong so she could correct it. She’d spent so many years gathering money and wait for Ivan. First for him to arrive in this country and then get out of jail. He’d been lucky that the authorities hadn’t sent him back to Russia. Now all Monica did was play her husband and in-laws for money these days. She couldn’t enjoy herself, because she was too busy trying to scrape together money to make the love of her life happy. She’d been so desperate to keep him happy that a year ago Monica started dating other foolish rich men to ge
Ivy sat at the dining table stunned as she tried to figure out how Heath manipulated Geoff into backing her into a corner. How could she not allow this without looking like a monster to her son? Geoff wanted his father here. Heath must be here to see if he could find her failing as a parent to use it against her in the court of law. It’s the only thing she could see logically being the explanation. It would be a pipe dream, a very slight pipe dream he wanted her as well. He’d believed until a few days ago that she’d cheated on him. There must be ground rules. She needed to set some sort of boundary. Or better yet, a series of boundaries. But she didn’t know where to start with it. Bills, they’d never spoke about bills before. How do you talk to a trust fund kid about bills without sounding like you’re a gold digger or begging for their money? He better not expect her to socialize with him again. Ivy wasn’t interested in being his date for anything, and he better
“I think he’s finally asleep.” Ivy walked into the living room. “Though what you said about him knowing things from conversations with my friend, then I can’t be sure he’s not listening.” “Is he often like that?” Heath asked Ivy. “I mean ready to gather and use any information he can to get his own way.” They sat face each other across the living room with coffee. “If you’re asking if he’s driven like you? I’m afraid I see more of you in him with every passing day. His ankle was from not watching where he was walking, and he went over on a transition between solid pavement and rubber chips. Sound familiar to anyone you know?” “It distracted me and didn’t realize I was so far out on the patio at the ski resort.” “Yes, I know. You were on your phone talking to Monica.” Ivy could see Heath hadn’t remembered that part or that she knew why he’d walked away from her so quickly. “Ivy, I told you it was work. How did you know i