Chapter 100
Jackson nervously eyed Brian’s face and put the envelope down on his desk
Brian’s eyes dropped to the letterhead. Hylan Courthouse stared back at him in bold letters. His stomach knotted as he scanned the details–July 5th,
10:00 AM.
Two weeks from now. The surprise summons felt like a gut punch, shattering every plan he’d made. Jessica wasn’t bluffing–this divorce was happening whether he liked it or not.
Meanwhile, at a cafe, Jessica and Simon sat across from each other, both plates nearly scraped clean. they’d clearly been there a while…
“Gosh!” Simen groaned, resisting the urge to hit his forehead un the table,
He’d pulled some serious strings to fast track the court date. Bringing Jessica there was supposed to be simple–hand over the summons, dig into ber marriage problems, and figure out how to get her that divorce.
But a pregnant divorce? This was a whole new level of difficulty.
Judges usually shot down divorce requests from nursing mothers for good reason. The only saving grace was that Jessica’s bump hadn’t started showing YEL
Taking a deep breath, Simon leaned in “Does Brian know?”
Jessica nodded.”
He hesitated. “I know it’s tough, but can you tell me what went wrong?”
He’d never flat–out asked Jessica this since they reconnected.
Simon had dealt with countless divorce cases and seen every excuse in the book. Her wanting out didn’t faze him. It was always the same story–the relationship tanked or someone cheated.
“He…” Jessica almost blurted out that Brian cheated, but without proof, “emotional cheating” didn’t hold up in court. She stalled, then said, “We’re done. I’m over him” Her voice was dead serious
Simon hesitated. Her tone sounded more like she was trying to convince hersel
But then he thought, ‘Why else would a pregnant woman push for divorce? She must be done for real. Divorce is no big deal. if she wants out, I’ll help her
“Got it.” Simon nodded, then fred off, “Did he screw up in any way?”
Jessica clammed up, wondering, is it a red flag that Brian always backed Madeline, dropped everything for her calls, and paid her insane overtime? Or that he let Made whisk Jacob away all the time?”
so many things, and she couldn’t tell if these were considered his marital faults.
There were so many t
Before the divorce idea hit, Brian and Madeline were inseparable, He’d claim she was “just his secretary” handing business.
When Jessica made Jacob study, Brian griped constantly. But every complaint was laced with praise for Madeline. He accused Jessica of using Jacobito boost her image as a doting mom
Another long silence followed.
Finally, Simon rephrased. “Jessi, when did things go south? During your stay at home years, did Brian even help with the house?”
1/3
Chapter 1000
As Jessica nodded, shook her head, and filled in details, Siman hit record on his voice recorder.
Every word was ammo for her case. And her ask was simple–no money, na custody. Just set her free.
Jackson hovered nearby, waiting silently,
At Atkinson Group, Priais stared at the court summons, his mind blank for what felt like asential Inted airtight brief’s ready before the
Finally snapping out of it, Brian rapped his knuckles on the desk. “Tell legal to drop everything non
hearing. And dig up Simon’s rivals–spare no expense Wiring the best ones.”
It was just a first hearing. Most couples didn’t get divorced on the first try, anyway.
With Jessica pregnant and no proof of cheating, abuse, or neglect on his part, she wouldn’t walk away that easily.
Still, Brian’s gut tightened and eyes became deep when he thought about Simon’s perfect win record. He pushed down the unease.
Jackson nodded to leave, but Brian called him back, his voice wavering. “Tell them this is all–hands–on–deck. If they can’t win, stall the verdict. Buys as much time as possible.”
Brian rubbed his temples. Logically, he’d done nothing wrong. Deep down, he refused to believe Jessica could fall out of love overnight.
He convinced himself she was probably just hormonal and hurt by Jacob’s words.
Once he smoothed things over and doted on her through the pregnancy, she’d come around. By the time the baby arrived, things would go back to normal.
A determined glint lit his eyes. He wasn’t about to let Jessica go without a fight.
“Got it, Mr. Atkinson.” Jackson blinked in surprise. He’d never se
seen Brian so rallied.
But it wasn’t his place to pry. He headed straight for the legal department.
Sure, divorce cases were new territory for their top–notch legal team, all Ivy League law grads with a perfect track record. But Jackson was confident–Mr Atkinson would win.
The moment Jackson stepped out, Madeline rapped on the door and entered, clutching a folder. One look at Brian’s thunderous expression told her to stick to business. She wrapped up the work talk and beat a hasty retreat.
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