Chapter 4

Adrian came to the firm for the first time three days later.

He hadn't made an appointment and was stopped at the front desk.

I was coming out of the conference room when I spotted him standing in the reception area.

His suit was wrinkled, stubble darkened his jaw, and he looked like he'd aged years overnight.

The receptionist saw me and looked relieved. "Serena, Mr. Prescott says he absolutely has to see you."

I nodded. "Let him in."

Adrian followed me into my office.

The moment the door closed, he placed a document on my desk. "This is a written pledge from Vivian."

I didn't look at it. "What kind of pledge?"

"She's promised never to contact me again and never to bother you."

"Good."

Something finally sparked in Adrian's eyes. "Serena, we can start over."

I looked up at him. "Who's starting over with you?"

The spark died. "I've handled it."

"Handled what?"

"Vivian."

I leaned back in my chair. "Adrian, you still think the only problem is Vivian?"

I picked up the voice recorder from my desk. The casing was old, a chip of silver paint missing. It was the first birthday gift Adrian ever gave me.

Back then I'd just started practicing law, too broke to eat three meals a day.

He'd saved for three months to buy me this recorder.

He'd said, "Serena, every word you say in a courtroom deserves to be recorded."

I really did carry it into many cases after that, winning many of them. I also used it to capture many ugly truths.

Adrian saw the recorder and his expression stiffened. "What are you doing?"

I pressed play. First came Vivian's voice. "Mr. Prescott, aren't you afraid Serena will get angry?"

Then Adrian. "She won't actually go through with it."

Vivian gave a small laugh. "Why not?"

Adrian said, "She's too rational. Rational people calculate the cost before filing for divorce."

My finger pressed flat against the desk. The recording went on. Adrian continued, "The firm, the clients, the connections, they're all tied to me. She won't give that up."

Vivian asked, "Do you love her?"

A long stretch of silence, then Adrian said, "I did."

The office had gone unnervingly quiet. Adrian's face was drained of color. "When did you record this?"

I said, "The night of your birthday."

He jerked his head up.

I looked at him calmly. "After you left, Vivian came to find me. I turned on the recorder."

"Then you walked her back and had quite the chat in the hallway."

The recording played Adrian's voice again. "She'll never leave me. She's too rational, which actually makes her the easiest to manipulate."

Adrian lunged to shut off the recorder. I raised my hand and blocked him.

His voice trembled. "Serena, those were angry words."

"I know."

"You know, and you're still using them to hurt me?"

I smiled. "Adrian, so you do know those words hurt."

His eyes reddened. "I never sleep with her."

"I told you, that's not the only measure."

"Then what exactly are you charging me with?"

I looked at him. "Infidelity."

Adrian clenched his fists. "Emotional cheating counts?"

"In my marriage, it does."

He closed his eyes. When he opened them, the whites were shot through with red. "Serena, have you ever considered that you might be part of the problem?"

I nodded. "I have."

He stared.

I said, "My biggest mistake was treating a man drowning in insecurity and vanity as someone I could stand beside as an equal."

Adrian's expression shifted violently. "That's how you see me?"

"It's not how I see you." I pushed the divorce papers across the desk. "It's who you've made yourself into."

He stared at the papers, then suddenly laughed. An ugly laugh.

"What if I don't sign?"

"Court."

"What if I pull your clients?"

"Go ahead."

He fixed me with a hard stare. "Serena, don't push me."

I picked up my phone. "Adrian, want to guess whether I turned on a second recorder just now?"

He went completely rigid.

I dialed my assistant. "Mia, come in for a moment."

Mia pushed the door open. I handed her the papers. "Draft a memo of everything Mr. Prescott just said."

Adrian shot to his feet. "Serena!"

I looked up. "What's wrong? Scared?"

His chest heaved. Then he suddenly snatched the papers and tore them in half. The pieces drifted to the floor.

He said, "I will not get divorced."

I looked at the paper scattered across the floor and didn't feel even a flicker of anger.

Adrian walked to the door, turned back, his voice so low it seemed forced through gritted teeth. "Serena, you'll leave me over my dead body."

I pressed the stop button on the recorder. "Alright then."

He froze.

I placed the recorder in the drawer. "See you in court."