Page 103 of Just My Luck

For long, heavy moments, I silently held Sloane in our kitchen. I had no words to reassure her that didn’t feel like a lie. Instead, my resolve hardened, and I made a silent promise.

I will always love you and do what needs to be done to keep my family safe.

THIRTY-SEVEN

SLOANE

The conversationwith Abel left my insides raw.

I knew he loved me, and my love for him nestled deep into my soul. I also knew the legal system couldn’t care less about my feelings for Abel. On paper, my decision to uproot my children and relocate to Michigan, then marry a felon and move in with him wasn’t a good look. At best, I appeared impulsive, and at worst, like I had a disregard for my children’s safety.

But they don’t know him.

Deep sadness unfolded in my chest as I stood in my lawyer’s office, staring down at the pile of paperwork, hating the lies they held.

Jared had the money to hire the country’s best attorney. He knew the children were the perfect way to punish me for leaving, and he had no qualms about using them against me.

Dissolution of our marriage wasn’t something that could happen overnight, but my attorney had started the process of severing my ties to Abel.

Optics,she called it.

Initially, I had balked at Abel’s suggestion for me and the twins to stay at the house while he slept at the cabin withGranddad. However, my attorney agreed that the optics of my separation with Abel would only work in our favor.

Every signature I scrawled was laced with regret.

My lawyer looked at me with kind eyes as my hand froze in the air. “This is simply to counter the points your ex-husband will inevitably use against you. Once this custody battle is behind you, you’re free to spend your time with whomever you choose.”

Her words were hollow and grim, offering no comfort to the ache in my stomach. Without looking, I scrawled my signature—Sloane Robinson—across the line.

I hadn’t even had the chance to take his name.

The thought was ridiculous. Even I knew we had started our relationship as a ruse. It shouldn’t have hurt so badly to end it, but every swipe of my signature felt like a betrayal—against him, against my heart.

By the time I was finished, my soul was drained. For now, it was a waiting game until the court hearing. I offered a weak goodbye and folded myself into my car. As soon as the door closed beside me, I burst into tears. Hard, aching sobs racked from my body as I hunched over the steering wheel.

How had I messed things up so badly?

All I had ever wanted was to feel safe. In Abel, I had found that plus so much more, and now it was being pulled out from under me. Like he had so many times before, Jared was controlling the narrative.

Sadness gave way to anger. I fucking hated him and everything he had put us through. I gripped the steering wheel and screamed at the windshield until my voice was raw.

I sat in silence, my angered howl still ringing in my ears as my breaths sawed in and out of me.

My phone rang and my chest tugged into a knot.

I didn’t recognize the number, but I swiped my fingers under my eyes and cleared my throat. “Hello?” I croaked.

“Sloane. This is Russell King. Are you all right?”

I swallowed and tried to sound normal. Nervousness rang through my body with a sharp edge. “I’m fine. Is something wrong? Is Abel okay?”

Russell chuckled on the other end. “As far as I understand, my son is doing very well—thanks to you, young lady. I’m calling because I heard a rumor that you might be in a spot of trouble, and I thought I could help.”

Unease rolled through me. Abel didn’t trust his father, and my alarm bells were ringing.

“Oh,” I said. “Thank you, but I think we have it handled.”

“Hmm.” Disappointment dripped through the phone. “Still... I’d like you to come by the house. Could you do that for me?”