Oliver
As we leave the conference room, Noah awkwardly shakes my hand and walks down the hallway, his
fingers flexing at his sides as he disappears into the stairwell. As soon as he’s out of sight, a heavy weight
settles in my stomach as the reality of what just happened sinks in.
I’ve just given Lissa everything she could ever want. I have eviscerated her ex, guaranteed her financial
security, and saved her son.
She doesn’t need me any longer. The small kernel of hope that I’ve held onto over the last few weeks
shrivels to nothing. The belief that I could have meant something more to her than money seems crazy now.
Closing my eyes, I try to settle the unhappiness clawing at my insides. I always knew the end was
coming; I just didn’t realize it would be today.
This is a good thing. Lissa is free now, and I made that happen. Why would she ever want someone like
me, anyway? She has the whole world at her disposal now.
I stare along the hallway, listening to the buzz of the office. I should be elated that I nailed James’s balls
to the wall. But I feel empty. The thought of her leaving is unbearable.
My throat tightens, stomach churning as I walk over and open the door to the office she’s in. She looks
up, her beautiful, dark blue eyes fixing on mine as she rises from her chair. The playlist I sent her is still
playing quietly on her phone, and she silences it hurriedly, straightening her jacket and looking fearfully
over my shoulder.
Maybe this is for the best. Cut the cord. Rip off the band-aid. At least that way I’m in control.
“It’s alright,” I say slowly, closing the door. “He’s gone.” She’s frowning at me, a crease between her
brows. She knows something’s wrong—I can tell already by her body language.
“What happened? Did he pull something at the last minute? He’s so good at that.”
“No,” I say slowly, putting down the files on the table at the side of the room and placing my hands in
my pockets.
Maybe if I don’t look at her, this will be easier to get through. “It went exactly as we hoped,” I say
solemnly. “We discovered something about his past that has given us a huge advantage.”
“What?” she asks. I’ve debated whether to tell her about the other woman for days. Her name is Amber
Wallace, and James started seeing her only weeks after they were married.
I know Lissa deserves to know, but her focus should be on her son, on Henry’s recovery, not trying to
deal with yet more pain piled on her by a worthless piece of shit.
She’ll find out someday, I know that, but not today. “It has to do with a financial omission. You
remember I told you James had to sign his financial affidavit?” She nods. “Well, he signed it without telling
the whole truth. He has more assets than he disclosed. It’s not uncommon in cases like this.”
I’m about to tell her that Noah helped to uncover the truth, and then my heart lurches at the thought that
she might date him now that she’s free of me.
Jesus, I fucking hate this. “Anyway, we laid it out for him clearly and simply, and he knows he can’t pull
this shit. If he takes you to court, he’s committed perjury. And it’s not only that—he lied to you about his
financial situation, which probably means your child support payments have been significantly smaller than
they should have been.”
“I don’t care about any of that,” she says firmly. “I mean, thank you. I’m grateful, of course. But what
happens with Henry?”
“You ke ep full custody,” I say, as her shoulders slump in relief. “Oh my God!” she says, her mouth
spreading into a stunning smile as happy tears fill her eyes.
She st eps forward, her arms outstretched toward me. Even if someone saw us, I could easily explain
away a hug after such a momentous meeting, but I recoil from her anyway.
Slowly, her arms lower, the smile fading. “He won’t pursue custody again,” I say quickly, picking up the
files again like a shield. “The original custody terms are retained. Your protective order stands. He won’t be
able to violate it again without the full weight of the law coming down on him.”
Her eyes are searching as she stares at me, lips thin as her gaze runs over my face. I look away.
I am such a fucking coward. “You’re... you’re going to ke ep r epresenting me, then?” she asks,
hesitation in her tone.
This is for the best. “I am—unless you’d rather have someone else do it. There are quite a few excellent
lawyers here who could handle the case.”
She sucks in a sharp breath, scratching at her wrist as she looks at the door. I feel as if I’m going to melt
into the floor where I’m standing.
“James is going to cover the cost of Henry’s treatment,” I force out. “The insurance policy will be
activated, and you’ll be compensated for any money you’ve spent so far.”
I clear my throat, staring at a small stain on the table in the center of the room, trying to ke ep my voice
steady.
“You can stay on at AGS for as long as you wish, until you find a new job. I’m sure you’d prefer to
work somewhere else—given the circumstances.”
“The circumstances...” she snaps, and the anger I’ve so rarely seen on her face is back in full force.
“It’s best if you don’t work for me as the divorce goes through,” I barrel on, getting the words out while
I can still get air into my lungs. “It makes sense.”
I st ep back in alarm as she advances on me, her eyes flashing, lip curling into a snarl. She’s such a petite
woman, but in that moment, I feel as if she towers above me, the strength of her rage like a physical slap
across the face.
“It makes sense, does it?” she bites out, her finger coming up to point at my chest. “I’m so glad that
you’ve wrapped this all up and put a nice little
bow on it, Mr. Heath,” she says as I lean away from her, my back meeting the cold glass window behind
me.
Lissa’s eyes are wet with unshed tears. “You’re a coward,” she murmurs bitterly, and that final blow is
all I can take. I know this is the way things have to be; it doesn’t make sense for her to stay, but the reality
of knowing she’s going to leave, that I won’t ever see her again, is agonizing.
My hand reaches blindly for the handle of the door as I sidest ep her, walking out of the room without a
word.
St epping into the hallway, I head to my office. My breath comes out in short, sharp pants as I walk
quickly, my chest aching.
As I reach my doorway, Adelaide asks me something mundane that I can’t focus on, and I wave her off,
stumbling into my office, collapsing against the door after I close it.
I haven’t felt like this since I was a teenager. The agony of losing Lissa is staggering. I want to shake it
off and pull myself together, but no matter how much my inner voice screams at me to get up, be a man,
sounding more like my father with every word, I can’t do it.
I remain there, sagging against the door, as I stare blankly at the room we’ve spent so many wonderful
hours in.
Looking at the toys on the shelves, the pleasure chaise, my gut burns with anger.
Why does it have to be like this for me? Rising, I stalk to the trash can in the corner of the room and pull
it over to the shelves. I begin throwing each toy into it one by one, wiping her presence from my life.
Turning, I rip the sculpture from the wall, not caring about the gaping hole that’s left in its place, and
dispose of everything else that reminds me of her.
The chaise is the last item, but there’s nothing I can do with that now. I wish I could throw everything
out of the window or set it on fire.
My hand moves to my chest, rubbing at the throbbing ache that won’t recede. Even as I stand there in
the wreckage I’ve created, I can’t help listening eagerly for the sound of Lissa’s footst eps outside my door.
My nails dig into the palm of my hand as there’s a gentle knock on the door. I stand straighter, exhaling
a long breath.
“Come in.”
Adelaide opens it, her eyes wide as she stares around at the room, skimming over the de ep gouge in the
plaster where the sculpture used to be.
“Is everything alright?” she asks, looking de eply concerned, as her fingers hang on the door handle.
I stare past her at Lissa’s empty desk. Has she already left? Fuck... “I’m fine. What time is the partners'
meeting this afternoon?” “It’s... it’s at two,” she says, looking around the room again. “Is there anything
you need?”
“No.” I’ll have to tell her that Lissa is leaving. But not now. Adelaide will be upset, and I can’t deal with
anyone else’s emotions right now.
“Just go,” I bite out. “Everything is fine.” Adelaide st eps back, her thin eyebrows rising as she retreats. I
turn and walk to my desk, powering on my computer. I have to get my head in the game, focus on the
meeting, and stay dedicated to my goal of becoming an equity partner. That’s what I’ve wanted for the last
decade. That’s my objective.
Everything else is just a distraction, and I’m better off without it.