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Home / Romance / A Man in Distress / Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

All Chapters of A Man in Distress: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

80 Chapters

31

CHAPTER 31 — LianaThe verdict didn’t come with drama.No gasp.No sharp intake of breath from the gallery.No triumphant glance exchanged across the aisle.It came quietly, folded into the judge’s measured voice like an inevitable conclusion everyone had already felt in their bones.In favor of the plaintiff.Just like that.Weeks of tension collapsed into a single sentence.I stood there, hands clasped in front of me, spine straight, face calm while something inside me finally loosened its grip. Not joy. Not relief exactly.Release.Evan didn’t react at all.He remained seated, eyes lowered, hands folded loosely on the table, as if he’d been expecting this outcome long before the judge spoke it aloud. When the room stirred lawyers gathering papers, reporters slipping out to file headlines he stayed still.I didn’t look at him.I didn’t need to.

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CHAPTER 32 — LianaI didn’t realize how deeply Maya had anchored herself into my routine until one morning passed without her.No small voice asking if lawyers ever cried.No crayon drawings left behind on my coffee table.No soft weight leaning against my arm while cartoons played in the background.The silence felt wrong.I sat at my kitchen counter, staring at my phone, pretending not to notice how many times I checked it half-expecting a message from Evan saying she missed me, or that she wanted to show me something new she’d learned, or that she’d asked for me by name.Nothing came.And that should’ve relieved me.Instead, it unsettled me.Work pulled me back into focus at least on the surface.Ethan assigned me lead responsibility on a new civil rights case, one with national attention already circling it like vultures. It should have thrilled me. Months

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CHAPTER 33 — LianaThe first time I realized Ethan was pulling away, it wasn’t dramatic.There was no argument.No raised voices.No slammed doors.It was in the pauses.The way he stopped finishing my sentences.The way his smile reached his mouth but not his eyes.The way he began asking procedural questions instead of personal ones.“How’s the brief coming?” instead of How are you holding up?“Did you review the deposition notes?” instead of Did you sleep?It was subtle. Controlled. Professional.And somehow, that hurt more.Work became sharper after that cleaner, more efficient, less forgiving.Ethan no longer softened feedback with humor. When he corrected me, it was precise and public. Not humiliating—but noticeable. A shift others began to sense.“You’re on fire lately,” one associate whispered as we exited a conference room. “Navarr

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CHAPTER 34 — LianaThe quiet after Evan left my apartment felt heavier than his presence.It lingered in the corners of the room, pressed against my chest, crawled beneath my skin like something unfinished. I stood by the door long after it closed, my hand still hovering near the lock as if I might open it again.I didn’t.I couldn’t.Because if I did, I wasn’t sure I’d stop.By morning, the city looked deceptively normal.Cars honked. Coffee shops buzzed. People laughed into their phones like nothing inside them was unraveling.I showered, dressed, and rehearsed neutrality like it was a skill I could master if I practiced hard enough.By the time I reached Delgado & Reyes, I was composed.By the time I saw Ethan, I was lying to myself.He stood at the glass wall of his office, jacket off, sleeves rolled, posture immaculate. When his eyes met mine, th

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CHAPTER 35 — LianaI wasn’t expecting to see Evan that night.After days of silence, after weeks of measured distance, his car was already parked in front of my building when I stepped out of the elevator. The city’s glow reflected off his windshield, making him look smaller, somehow human. Vulnerable.My chest tightened instantly.“Liana.” His voice—low, rough—hit me like a punch.“Evan,” I said carefully. “You—what are you doing here?”“I need to talk,” he said, and his jaw tightened. “Can we… in person?”I hesitated. My instincts screamed at me to say no. But then Maya’s voice echoed in my mind, her laughter, her trust in me, her insistence that I always show up.I nodded. “Okay. Come in.”The apartment smelled faintly of vanilla from the candle I’d forgotten to blow out. He stepped inside, keeping his coat on as if armor could protect him from what he was about to say.He did

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CHAPTER 36 — LianaThe office smelled of leather, polished wood, and something distinctly Evan. I hated that I could recognize it anywhere.He was sitting behind his desk, shoulders slightly slumped, papers scattered in front of him—but his attention wasn’t on them. It was on me, the way it always seemed to be when I walked in.“Sit,” he said quietly, gesturing to the chair across from him. His voice didn’t carry the usual authority. It was low, almost fragile.I hesitated, then lowered myself into the chair.“I’m not going to start with work,” he said. “I… I need to talk about Maya. About everything.”I nodded carefully. “Okay.”He took a deep breath. “She asked me last night why you’re here. Why you stayed in her life after… everything. And I didn’t have an answer. Because the truth is…” His voice faltered. “I’ve been too afraid to say anything. To you. To myself. But I miss her. I miss you. And I… I’m f

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CHAPTER 37 — LianaThe morning started like any other, but nothing felt normal.Maya was already at my apartment when I woke. She’d slipped in quietly, backpack slung over one shoulder, hair tousled from sleep.“Good morning, Aunt Liana!” she chirped, trying to sound cheerful.I forced a smile. “Morning, pumpkin. How’d you get in here?”“I have my ways,” she said, eyes twinkling. “Daddy said it’s okay if I come over before school sometimes. He trusts me. And… I like being here.”My chest warmed. “I like that too.”She plopped onto the couch, crossing her legs. Then she tilted her head, eyes narrowing in that all-too-knowing way kids have.“Are you happy, Aunt Liana?” she asked casually, flipping through a magazine.I froze. “Happy?”“Yes,” she said. “With work. With… Daddy. With… friends. You look… tired, but… not sad. Mostly. So are you happy?”I blinked. I hadn’t

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CHAPTER 38 — LianaThe night air felt heavier than usual as I walked toward Evan’s apartment. The city lights reflected off the wet pavement from an earlier rain, shimmering like fragments of memories I hadn’t wanted to revisit.Maya had already gone to bed, insisting I tell her a story tomorrow about “cookies and superheroes.” I smiled at the thought but pushed it aside. Right now, all I could think about was Evan.When I knocked, he opened the door almost immediately. No smile. No casual greeting. Just that weight in his eyes—raw, unfiltered.“Liana,” he said, voice low, carrying both relief and tension.“Evan,” I said softly, stepping inside. The familiar scent of his apartment—wood, leather, and something uniquely him—hit me immediately. I hated that I recognized it. I hated that it made my chest ache.He closed the door behind me. “I… I didn’t expect you tonight,” he admitted. “I didn’t even know if you w

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CHAPTER 39 — LianaThe next morning, I couldn’t focus. Not on the case, not on the files, not even on the notes I had meticulously prepared. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Evan’s face—the vulnerability, the rawness, the way he had trusted me with something so fragile.And then there was Ethan. Standing outside my office door, jaw tight, hands stuffed into his pockets, the storm behind his calm facade simmering just beneath the surface.“Morning,” I said cautiously, trying to keep my voice steady.“Morning,” he said flatly. Then he exhaled sharply, a sound that was almost like a growl. “We need to talk.”I frowned. “Now?”“Yes. Now,” he said, and there was no room for argument.I followed him down the quiet hallway to a small conference room. No one else was there yet. The hum of the building around us made everything feel amplified—the tension, the heat, the weight of unspoken words.He c

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CHAPTER 40 — LianaThe courtroom smelled of polished wood, leather, and nerves. My hands were gripping the folder so tightly that the edges creased. I kept glancing at the clock, every tick echoing in my chest like a countdown.Evan was already there, standing near the plaintiff’s table, calm, composed or at least appearing to be. His eyes found mine as I walked in, and for a moment, everything else vanished. The courtroom, the people, the papers it was just him, standing there, solid and complicated, and terrifyingly close.Ethan was sitting at Delgado & Reyes’ table, reviewing notes, but the tension radiating off him was palpable. He didn’t glance at me, but I could feel his awareness, his calculation, the quiet storm behind his poised exterior.I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.“Miss Liana Delgado?” the judge’s voice called, pulling me back to the present.“Yes, Your Honor,” I said, my

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