SWNOVELS Forever With The CEO: Chapter 30
Some days I could barely believe how much life had changed in the past few months. I felt like an entirely different person. I’d accepted a while ago that it was time to leave that version of me in the past. But I liked the present version, and I was immensely happy.
Which was why, as I drove into work on a gloomy Thursday morning, I was still singing at the top of my lungs. I simply wouldn’t let anything drag me down.
So when Hugo called, I grimaced. Crap. Things couldn’t work out perfectly, could they? I hadn’t heard from him in a while, and he’d insisted that there was no point asking him for updates and that he’d call when he knew something.
“Hi,” I said as soon as the call connected on Bluetooth.
“Morning, Allison.”
“Any news?” I asked, but it was redundant. He wouldn’t have called otherwise.
“Yes, the best of news.”
I gasped. “Oh my God.”
“They withdrew the custody plea.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means they are no longer seeking custody.”
“I can’t believe it. They just gave up? Just like that?” Why would they do that?
“Not exactly. I found out that they weren’t doing as well financially as they were pretending. Selling Jim and Nora’s house would have gotten them out of the pinch they were in.”
“Wait… they have money troubles?” I was absolutely shocked. Hugo had mentioned in the beginning that they were probably interested in the house, but I’d never believed it.
“Yep. And whoever gets the twins gets the house, remember?”
I blinked rapidly. “But that’s not how it works. The house belongs to the twins.”
“There are legal and slightly illegal ways to get around that if they wanted, and believe me, they wanted to.”
“And they simply pulled back their request because you found out they have financial issues?”
“I made it clear to them that everyone would find out about their money problems and that they only wanted to get the twins in order to sell the house. Turns out, Bob and Sophie care about one thing most: their reputation. They agreed not to seek custody if we don’t mention this to anyone.”
“Thank you so much for taking care of all that. I’m speechless.”
I couldn’t believe anyone would be so callous. In all this time, they’d never once asked about their grandkids. I’d started to feel guilty, thinking that maybe because we were engaged in the custody battle, they simply wanted to ignore me and minimize interactions. But now I was starting to accept that wasn’t the case.
“There is one small technicality, though. I need your signature on an affidavit that states that you gladly assume the custody.”
“Of course. I thought I’d done that already.”
“You did, but we need a new one.”
“I’ll drop by right now. My first meeting doesn’t start until ten.”
“Perfect.”
His law practice wasn’t very far away, which was great. I was bursting with joy as I stepped into his office, smiling like a lunatic. I could still remember all the anxiety I had when Nick and I first came here.
He smiled at me. “Allison, congrats.”
“Congrats to you too. No small feat intimidating Sophie and Bob.”
“There wasn’t much intimidation required. They were scared shitless that anyone would find out they have financial troubles.”
“Is there any possibility that they can file again later?”
“Technically, of course they could, but this would really go against them. Changing your mind shows that you’re not committed. And if there’s one thing a judge is looking for in a custody case, it’s for a committed adult who has the children’s best interest at heart.”
I sat down in front of him in the chair that he pointed to. He already had the document there, ready for me to sign, and I did it without reading it.
“You can sign the other one, too, if you want, or you can take it with you to read it.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“The divorce papers, of course, as promised.”
I froze and immediately put the pen down. It felt as if it burned my fingers.
“Right, the divorce papers.” My elation evaporated completely, and my stomach dropped.
“If you prefer, you can take it with you and read it. It’s the same as the one I sent you months ago. No division of assets or anything like that. Each one of you walks out the same way you walked into this marriage.”
My heart was pounding fast. I was going to throw up soon or faint or both.
“Do you have questions?”
“Is it not too soon to do it? Wouldn’t it look suspicious if…?” If what? God, what was I supposed to say? I’d lost my train of thought completely. I tried to gather my wits, but I just couldn’t. It felt like Hugo had punched me in the stomach and then dumped a bucket of ice on top of my head. Did Nick know about this? “I mean, if the divorce goes through so fast.”
“We can wait. It’s your call. I don’t think it matters either way.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if he’d spoken to Nick about this, if he’d already signed, but I couldn’t. I didn’t even dare look through the files to check if his signature was there. I couldn’t bear to see it.
Damn it. This was what we’d agreed on. I had no right to keep Nick tied to me any longer. He was probably anxious to get back to his freedom and his penthouse.
“Allison, are you feeling okay?” Hugo asked, his voice filled with concern.
“No. I’m not sure what happened.”
“Maybe your blood pressure dropped. It happens when people carry adrenaline for a long time while waiting for an outcome. I’ll make a strong coffee.”
“That sounds good. Thank you.” I couldn’t even get up from the chair.
He disappeared behind me, and then I heard him turn on a coffee machine.
With trembling fingers, I looked through the papers. The signature page was blank. Nick hadn’t signed yet. I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, but then it dropped back down, and it was even heavier than before. It was probably because Hugo called me first. No way did he call Nick before, because he didn’t say anything at the house this morning.
My thoughts were getting muddled again as Hugo handed me the coffee. I took one sip, and miraculously I did feel a bit better. Maybe this truly was just my blood pressure dropping.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked.
“Yes. I should probably get out of your hair.”
“Stay another twenty minutes, just to be sure.”
“Unfortunately, I do need to get going.” I pointed at the divorce papers. “I’ll take these with me. And I’ll talk about it with Nick.”
But even as I said the words, I realized there was nothing to talk about, was there? He and I were having a great time together. But we’d never, not once, even alluded to the fact that we’d continue after the battle was won.
“I wasn’t expecting this to go so fast,” I admitted.
“If they hadn’t dropped the case, it would have lasted a while longer. As it is, they did us a favor. No judge will ever seriously consider them again if they change their minds. You really have nothing to worry about.”
I realized on the spot why he was repeating this. He probably thought I wasn’t 100 percent elated because I was still afraid they could come after me. But I wasn’t—I believed him when he said they stood zero chance. All my thoughts were consumed with Nick.
“I’ll put those in a folder for you,” he said, correctly interpreting the fact that I was still too lost in my worries to even go through the motions.
“Do you have any plastic?” I asked, regaining some of my wits. “That’s more flexible, and I can keep it in my bag.”
“Sure.” He opened a drawer under his desk and put the plastic folder on the table. With trembling fingers, I set the divorce papers in it.
I couldn’t believe it. Divorce.
This is what you signed up for, Allison. Come on, don’t waste the man’s time anymore.
My hands were shaking even more as I shoved the folder into my bag and then rose to my feet. “Thank you for everything.”
“No worries.”
“Your invoice—”
“Forget about it. Nick has taken care of everything.”
“But this is my custody battle, and I can afford to pay,” I assured him.
“I know you can, Allison. But if Nick wants to pick up the tab, why not let him?”
Because I already owe him so much.
I’d discuss this with Nick.
“Right, I’m going to go, then.”
“Sure. And let me know when you two are ready to sign those papers.” He seemed to hesitate on the words for the first time, then frowned.
I nodded. “We will. Thank you.”
I felt as if someone was squeezing my insides, especially my heart, and I was about to implode. As I left his office, that feeling only intensified. When I got into my car, I dropped my bag on the passenger seat. My eyes were burning.
Damn it, Allison, you’ve got custody. This is what you wanted. That’s why you and Nick got married in the first place. You should be celebrating right now.
But I wasn’t in the mood for that at all. Quite the opposite.