جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 140

ETHANI was working from home when the courier arrived.Legal documents. Urgent delivery.I signed for them, confused. My lawyer hadn't mentioned anything.I opened the envelope.Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. Filed by Hailey Hoss.My stomach dropped.She was actually doing it. Filing for divorce.I'd told her I wanted one. But I hadn't filed yet. Too much chaos with my mother's arrest.Apparently, Hailey decided not to wait.I flipped through the pages. Standard stuff. Division of assets. Spousal support requests.Then I got to the custody section.And my blood ran cold."Petitioner requests full physical and legal custody of minor child Jason Hoss. Respondent to receive supervised visitation only."Supervised visitation.She was trying to take Jason from me.I kept reading."Petitioner contends that Respondent is unfit to p

ETHANThe two weeks passed slowly.I threw myself into work. Tried to stay busy. Tried not to think about the hearing.But Jason was always on my mind.I saw him every other day. Hailey had agreed to informal visits while the court decided.We went to the park. Watched movies. Ordered pizza. Normal father-son things.Jason seemed okay. Kids were resilient. But sometimes he'd ask questions that broke my heart."Dad, are you going to disappear like Grandma did?""No, buddy. I'm not going anywhere.""Promise?""Promise."But I couldn't promise what I didn't control.The morning of the final hearing, I woke up early.Showered. Dressed carefully. Dark suit. Conservative tie.Thomas had advised looking stable. Reliable. Every detail mattered.I arrived at the courthouse thirty minutes early.Thomas was waiting outside. His expression was careful.

MABELI stood in the lobby watching Ethan cry.Drunk. Disheveled. Completely falling apart.Part of me wanted to comfort him. Old instincts. Years of marriage.But another part held back.This was Ethan. The man who'd chosen his mother over me. Over truth. Over our marriage."Come sit down," I said finally.I led him to a quiet corner of the lobby. Away from other guests. Away from curious eyes.David followed at a distance. Always watching.Ethan sat heavily. Wiped his eyes. Seemed embarrassed."Sorry," he muttered. "I shouldn't have come here.""Probably not. But you did." I sat across from him. "When did you last eat?""I don't remember.""When did you last sleep? Properly?""I don't remember that either."I looked at him. Really looked.He was a mess. Stubble past the point of fashionable. Dark circles under his eyes. Suit he'd clearly b

MABELThe cab disappeared around the corner.I stood at the lobby window watching until the taillights faded into the Manhattan traffic.Ethan was gone.More broken than when he'd arrived, if that was possible.Seeing Damian had done that. The confrontation. The questions. The realization of whatever was developing between Damian and me.Another thing he'd lost.Not that he had any right to it.I turned from the window.Damian was standing where I'd left him. Hands in his pockets. Expression carefully neutral now that Ethan was gone.David had discreetly moved to the other side of the lobby. Giving us space."He's gone," I said unnecessarily."Yes."I walked back to the seating area. Sat down. The adrenaline of the last hour slowly draining.Damian sat across from me. Same place Ethan had occupied twenty minutes ago.The contrast was stark.

MABELThe kiss lasted only a moment.But it changed everything.I pulled back first.Not dramatically. Not suddenly. Just gently. Creating space between us.Damian let me. Didn't reach for me. Didn't close the distance I'd created.Just watched me. Patient.The porch was still quiet. Still private. The crickets still singing somewhere in the dark Westchester grounds.Everything the same as five minutes ago.Except nothing was the same.I stood. Walked to the porch railing. Looked out at the dark garden.My heart was racing. My thoughts louder than the quiet night."Mabel." His voice was soft. Not demanding. Just present."Give me a second."He did.I stood at the railing, sorting through the noise in my head.The kiss had been good. That wasn't the problem.Damian was good. That wasn't the problem either.The problem was everything else.Liam learning the truth two weeks ago. Still adjusting. Still navigating two mothers and a new reality.Bella and Andrew rebuilding something fragile