Alle Kapitel von HIS SECRETARY'S SECRET : Kapitel 91 – Kapitel 100

Damian PovI spent three hours trying to reach Karen's lawyer and the prison warden before I gave up and decided to handle it myself. My lawyer Marcus said it was a bad idea to confront her in person but I didn't care. Someone needed to make her stop and clearly the legal system wasn't going to do it.I looked up Karen's address from the court documents. She was living with her mother in a small apartment across town. Technically she was still supposed to be in prison but apparently she got released early for good behavior. The system failed again. Let a woman who tried to poison my ex wife and unborn child walk free after barely a year.I drove to her apartment and sat in my car for ten minutes trying to calm down. Dr. Sarah Williams would be disappointed that I was doing this. She would say I was letting my anger control me instead of using my coping mechanisms. But I was tired of coping. I was tired of counting to ten while Karen destroyed Bella's life. Someone needed to actually d

Damian PovMarcus called me on a Tuesday morning with what he thought was good news. "We're filing the defamation lawsuit against Karen today. We have solid evidence that her video and social media posts contain provable lies. We should win this easily.""Good" I said. I was exhausted from weeks of dealing with Karen's lies and the fallout from her viral video. "What happens after we file.""She gets served with the lawsuit papers" Marcus explained. "Then she has thirty days to respond. She'll probably try to settle out of court because she has no money and no case. This should end the harassment once and for all."Finally something was going right. Finally Karen would face consequences for destroying my reputation and Bella's business. Finally the legal system would work in our favor instead of letting her get away with everything.Marcus filed the lawsuit that afternoon. I felt hopeful for the first time in weeks. Maybe this nightmare was finally ending. Maybe Bella would see that I

Damian PovI knew something was wrong the second Bella texted me. "We need to talk. In person. Now." It was my week with Nathan but Bella never interrupted custody time unless it was an emergency. I texted back asking if Nathan was okay. She said "Nathan is fine. This is about you. Meet me at the park in an hour."I drove to the park anxious and confused. Bella was sitting on a bench far from the playground where no one would overhear us. Her face was hard and angry in a way I hadn't seen in months."What's going on" I asked. I sat down next to her but she moved away. "What's this about.""A woman named Claire came to see me" Bella said. She pulled out her phone and showed me a photo. "Your ex girlfriend from college. Remember her."My stomach dropped. Claire. I hadn't thought about her in years. Hadn't seen her since college ended and we broke up. Seeing her face on Bella's phone made me feel sick."What did she want" I asked."To warn me about you" Bella said. Her voice was cold. "T

Damian PovThe moving truck pulled up to the building and I felt sick looking at it. This was where I would live now. A four story walk up in a neighborhood where sirens went off every night and the street smelled like garbage. The studio apartment cost nine hundred a month and it was the cheapest place I could find that wasn't completely falling apart.I spent the day unpacking what little I brought from the penthouse. Most of my furniture wouldn't fit so I sold it or gave it away. Now I had an air mattress for myself. A smaller air mattress for Nathan. A folding table. Two chairs. A few boxes of clothes and personal items. Everything I owned fit in this one tiny room.The support group had helped me move. Marcus from the group drove the truck. Frank helped carry boxes. They didn't say anything about how awful the apartment was. They just helped me unpack and told me it would get better. I didn't believe them but I appreciated the effort.It was my week with Nathan starting tomorrow.

Damian PovThe defamation trial started on a Monday in September. Marcus said it would last three days. Karen's countersuit was being heard at the same time. Both cases together meant every detail of our affair would become public record.Bella had to be there because her name was mentioned in both lawsuits. She sat in the back wearing a black dress and sunglasses. She didn't look at me when I walked in.Karen testified first. She wore a conservative dress and minimal makeup. She cried when describing the affair. Her lawyer asked her to detail every interaction we had."How many times were you intimate with Mr Roberts" her lawyer asked."I don't know exactly" Karen said. She dabbed her eyes. "Maybe forty times. Over the four months we were together."I heard Bella make a sound from the back. A choked gasp. She knew about the affair but hearing the number out loud made it more real."And where did these encounters take place" the lawyer continued."Mostly at my apartment" Karen said. "