Dream and reality

He thought about it for a moment, stepping over a root that crossed the path."I collect maps," he said.I looked at him. "Maps?""Old ones. Antique. The older the better. I have about sixty in the apartment, most of them framed, some just stored flat in drawers because I ran out of wall space." He glanced sideways. "There's something about the way people understood the world before they had complete information. The gaps and guesses and the places where mapmakers just wrote things like 'here there be monsters' because they genuinely didn't know.""That's not what I expected you to say.""What did you expect?""I don't know. Something more serious. Business related.""You said not resume stuff.""Fair point." I watched a bird move through the branches above us. "I like that. The maps thing." Something about it felt right for him, for the way he paid attention to things, the way he sat with uncertainty instead of rushing to fill it with false certainty."Your turn," he said."Something

Legal work

I called Diana from the porch of the house while Adrian made lunch inside.She answered on the first ring, which told me she'd been waiting."Ivy. Good, I'm glad you called quickly.""Your email said it was important." I sat on the wooden porch steps, looking out at the property, the long grass still damp from the morning. "What's happening with the settlement?""Ethan's lawyer contacted me at eight this morning. On a Saturday, which tells you how eager they are to move." Papers shuffled in the background. Diana apparently worked weekends without apology. "They're proposing a full settlement within thirty days. They want the house, the joint investment accounts, and they're offering you a single lump sum payment.""How much?""Fifty thousand dollars."I let out a short sharp laugh. "That's insulting.""It is. The house alone is worth nearly two million in the current market and the joint accounts hold approximately three hundred and forty thousand dollars. They're offering you fifty t

Falling for him

Silence.Then, in a voice that was very quiet and very controlled, "She's escalating.""Yes.""She knows something is closing in.""That's what I think too." I wrapped both hands around the mug. "Diana wants everything Marcus has. She wants to speak with him directly. She thinks if we can establish Natalie's involvement this whole thing transforms from a messy divorce into a fraud case."Adrian was quiet for a moment. "Let me make some calls.""Adrian…”“Not to interfere with Marcus or Diana. Just to supplement." His voice was measured, careful. "I told you I have resources. People who can trace financial transactions faster than a one man forensic operation. People who specialize in exactly this kind of digital fraud." He looked at me. "With your permission."I looked back at him. At the steadiness of him, the absolute lack of performance in his expression. Just a man sitting on a porch step on a Saturday morning offering to use everything he had to help someone he cared about."Okay

All Chapters of MY EX HUSBAND’S REGRET : Chapter 31 - Chapter 33

Dream and reality

Legal work

Falling for him