“Kyle Warren?” I repeat, not that I’m not sure that I heard Jeff Thompson correctly, but I need a moment to consider what this means.“That’s right,” Thompson says, his head held high, his chin in the air. “The Kyle Warren--famous attorney who is known for being ruthless and rarely, if ever, losing a case. He’s agreed to take me on as a client.”I know Kyle Warren all too well. I don’t have a problem saying, “Oh, he’s lost a case or two.” I know that he has because it is my head lawyer, Shawna Steel, that has defeated Kyle Warren in the courtroom twice on my behalf. It’s one of the reasons that Kyle Warren hates me, and I’m assuming, it’s why he’s agreed to take on Jeff Thompson’s case against me. I’m guessing Warren will even go so far as to wave his fees, at least unless he wins.Thompson makes a cocky noise in the back of his throat. “Not often,” he says of Warren’s record. “Anyway, he thinks I have a solid case against you. Enough to take everything from you. Then, you’ll find ou

“Yes, honey. Kyle Warren. Do you think there’s reason to be nervous? For Braxton?”“No, Mom,” I say, but I’m not sure I believe it. After all, even I know that Kyle Warren hates Braxton, that they are constantly at each other. I’m not sure what the history is between them, but I know enough to be worried about it. “I’m sure that Braxton has plenty of attorneys to help with this sort of thing. Besides, I don’t even know what Jeff could be suing over. I left of my own accord. It wasn’t as if Braxton made me leave my husband.”“Jeff seems so sweet when he calls to talk to us, honey,” my mom continues. “It’s just so hard to believe that everything you’ve said about him is true.”I’m not sure what to say to her. It’s like she’s daring me to defend my allegations about my husband. “People can be deceiving, Mom,” I say. “Believe me, he’s not sweet. Not at all. He’s been misleading you and lying to you for years. I’m sure that you’ll see his true colors come out soon enough.”“I’m sure you’re

Around 4:00, it occurs to me that I need to start fixing dinner. I have been in the pool. Floating around without a care has been helpful to my worried disposition, but as I get out, water dripping from my suit, and grab a towel to dry off, I think it is time to get dinner ready.I sit down on a chair next to the pool as I realize I don’t have to worry about dinner. I won’t have to cook anything this evening. If I don’t want to, I’ll never have to cook anything again.Before I got married to Jeff, I was not much of a cook. My mother tried to teach me what she knew when I was in high school, but she was not a natural cook either, and I didn’t exactly take to it. I remember the first meatloaf I ever made. It was charred on top and raw in the middle and absolutely disgusting.Over the last two years, I have had to figure out how to make some of Jeff’s favorite dishes to his liking. Either that, or I would spend the night being yelled at, and that was never any fun. Jeff is a rather bland

I’m not sure I’m ready to show Braxton the painting I was working on today. It isn’t finished yet, and it’s not like the other paintings I’ve done for him to see. He might not like it. He might even think it’s not any good, which would be a hard thing to hear. Not that I think he’d say anything to hurt my feelings on purpose, but I am good at reading people’s expressions, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to tell if he thinks it’s crap, even if he says otherwise.Beyond that, as he pulls me along out of the dining room and toward the art room, I am wishing he would’ve said something to me about the lawsuit that Jeff is filing against him. Braxton hasn’t mentioned it since he got home. He’s acting like there’s nothing wrong, and I know that’s not the case. I’m sure he just doesn’t want me to worry about it, but I am worried about it. If my mom hadn’t told me about the lawsuit, I wouldn’t know there was anything wrong at all. Braxton is keeping it from me to protect me, but he needs to t

The sound of Braxton’s alarm going off stirs me, but I am groggy as I open my eyes to see him turning his phone off to make the alarm stop and then turning to look at me. He smiles down at me, and a smile lights my face as well, but then I remember that there is a problem. I remember why I am there, but I also remember that Jeff is fighting back. My smile tightens, and I see the strain in his expression as well.“Good morning, Julia,” he says, trying to hide his true feelings.“Good morning,” I say, pushing up on my elbows so that I am almost even with him. He rolls onto his side and props himself up on his elbow, and I can tell that he has something he wants to say to me.I think he is finally going to tell me about the lawsuit. The night before, I had spent hours waiting for him to spill the information to me. But he had been trying to protect me and hadn’t said anything at all. Now, after a good night’s sleep, and maybe a few hours of contemplation as I had fallen asleep right awa