Chapter 4His Intern

In a quiet corner of a coffee shop, I laid out the whole story for Grant.

He just snorted. “You’re really ready to let him go?”

All these years, and he was still as blunt as ever. If he’d been just a little gentler back then, maybe I never would have broken up with him.

Not wanting to get into it with him, I pulled a card from my purse and slid it across the table.

“I did my research. Your current rate is a million-dollar retainer. This is half. You’ll get the rest when the divorce is final. This is business, Grant. No feelings involved.”

Grant picked up the card, flicked it between his fingers, and then tucked it into his jacket pocket.

“Whatever you say, boss.”

On the way out, he offered me a ride.

Compared to my life of domestic bliss, his had been much harder. I’d heard his wife passed away from an illness a few years ago. They never had children. He’d since poured all his energy into his work, becoming the most sought-after lawyer in the city.

Grant’s car was a loud-ass Maserati that roared to life.

I couldn't help but frown. “You’re a grown man. Why do you still like such flashy toys?” I wondered what his late wife had seen in him.

He just arched an eyebrow. “You used to love this stuff, remember?”

He had me there. In my twenties, I was all about the flash. But who has the energy for that at forty?

I let it drop. When he dropped me off, I sent him a three-hundred-dollar transfer.

G: ?

C: For the ride.

G: Got it, boss.

Despite the flashy car, Grant gave me a mountain of solid advice. Following his instructions, I managed to get a clear picture of James’s finances. I also hired a private investigator who quickly found the address where he was keeping his little secret.

It was an apartment I’d bought before we were married. We lived there when we were dating and for the first few years of our marriage. It was only after Jenna was born and we needed space for a nanny that we moved into our current house.

I hadn’t been back in years. This is where he was hiding her?

I found my old key and went over on a day I knew they’d be out.

Inside, nothing had changed, except for the clutter of a new life.

It was painfully obvious that Heather was desperate to marry James.

Behind the sofa hung a portrait of them together.

On the dining table sat a hand-crocheted doll she’d made.

And in the kitchen, a rich, fragrant soup was simmering on low.

If the portrait hadn’t been a carbon copy of one James and I had taken in that exact spot…

If the doll hadn’t been a replica of my favorite orange plushie…

And if the soup hadn’t been the exact recipe I had spent weeks developing to soothe James’s chronic stomach problems…

Then maybe, just maybe, I could have applauded this happy little illicit love nest.

But that soup recipe… I had only ever shared it with one person: my mother-in-law.

Which meant that besides me, she was the only one who knew it.

And now it was simmering in Heather’s kitchen.

The weight of so many betrayals crashed down on me. Was I such a failure that everyone in my life felt no hesitation in hurting me?

Just as I was drowning in despair, the door swung open.

Heather burst in, beaming. She threw herself into James’s arms.

“It’s wonderful! James, my love, I’m finally going to give you a son!”

James stroked her cheek, a look of pure adoration on his face. Then he looked up, and his eyes met mine.

For the first time in our twenty years together, I saw genuine panic on James Shaw’s face.

…

He never, in a million years, could have expected to find me here.

But in that moment, a strange calm washed over me. I took out my phone and started recording.

He saw the red light and lunged for it, but I stepped back. “Think carefully, James. This building has security cameras. If I get the footage, your reputation is finished.”

James’s breath came in ragged gasps. He was a man accustomed to being in control, a titan of industry. This loss of control was making him visibly agitated.

“Claire, stop this nonsense. Go home.”

“I want a divorce.”

“I’m not divorcing you. Get that idea out of your head!”

“I want a divorce. We’ll sign the papers tomorrow. If not, you and your little secret will be front-page news.”

“Why are you doing this? Have you thought about my parents? About your father? Have you thought about our daughter?”

The mention of Jenna made something inside me snap.

I grabbed a vase and hurled it to the floor. It shattered into a thousand pieces.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare bring them into this!” I screamed, rushing forward and slapping him hard across the face.

“You bastard! You didn’t think about them when you were cheating on me! You didn’t think about them when you were getting another woman pregnant! And now that I’ve caught you red-handed, you have the nerve to tell me to think about them? What kind of world-class hypocrite are you?”

“You’re nothing but a disgusting old man who can’t keep it in his pants! You think you can humiliate me and then silence me? Dream on! Either you sign those papers with me tomorrow, or we go to war, and I will burn everything to the ground. Your choice!”

I went straight to Grant’s law firm. He was free and led me to a quiet office, pouring me a glass of water.

“What happened? You look ready to kill someone.”

“Don’t ask. I ran into the mistress. She’s pregnant.”

“So, what’s your next move?”

At the question, my anger flared again. “What can I do? Is there anything I can do now?”

Grant paused, then pushed the glass of water closer to me. The small gesture extinguished my rage. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

He shrugged. “It’s fine. The customer is always right.”

…

Grant explained that this development was actually a huge advantage for me. The photos I took in the apartment, combined with the fact that James now had a child with another woman, constituted irrefutable proof of adultery. This would significantly strengthen my position in the asset division.

My mind felt numb. I couldn’t process any of it.

When I left the firm, he offered me a ride, but I refused.

I needed to walk. I needed to be alone.