Page 126 of Reckless Love

“It means my partnership with you no longer serves me,” I say. “I want an uncontested divorce. Quick and painless. You’ll also sign the dissolution of paternity that Caitlin has there.” I nod at the document Caitlin slides within his reach along with a pen she clicks into action.

“And if I don’t, you’ll turn me in?”

“I want out, and if you won’t let me go peacefully, I’ll make it as hard on you as you threatened to make it on me. Only one of us will end up in jail. Spoiler alert—it won’t be me.”

“You want your son? That’s it?”

“You can read,” I say, nodding at the additional papers Caitlin slides his way.

He scans them in silence and then looks up at me as though I’ve gone mad. Maybe I have. Power hungry for sure. Learning what my mother did, realizing all Raul’s crimes, has made me brave in a new way. No matter what, I won’t be the one getting screwed over.

“You want Reckless and The Nile?”

“You can keep the house and whatever other international assets you have. But I want The Nile. The people of Bellerive deserve better than you.”

“Ah,” he says with a slight chuckle, “you’re going to be their savior, are you?”

“My head is out of the sand, Raul. Interpret that whatever way you want.” Because I don’t care what he thinks of me. His opinion can’t touch me at all anymore.

“I sign these documents and you shred your evidence?”

“I’m happy for Caitlin to create a paper trail of your misdeeds that we can sign to say I won’t say anything about any of it. Doesn’t seem like something you’d want, but we can do that.” I turn to Caitlin as though that’s something we considered. “You have that document with the itemized list?”

Raul holds up his hand. “If Celia is done with me, which is what this seems like, you can have your son and Reckless. The Nile, though…”

“Does this seem like a negotiation?” I ask. “It’s a takedown. You either sign it all, or I take you down. I’ll get my divorce, and I’ll get my son whether you’re in or out of jail. With you in jail, I’ll go after your company anyway, and I’ll get it. You want to survive? Cut your losses and start over.”

He clicks the pen, staring at me.

“It’s a today deal or it’s a never deal. Your choice,” I say.

“An uncontested divorce, your son, Reckless, and The Nile,” he says, “none of my other assets, and you keep the evidence your mother gave you buried forever.”

“Sign the papers,” I say.

With one last wary look, he flicks through the pages, initialing and signing. Caitlin scoops them all up, and she deposits them in a manilla envelope that she tucks into her purse.

Then I leave without a backward glance, confident in the knowledge that as soon as our divorce is finalized, as soon as the dissolution of paternity is filed, I’ll be turning over every scrap of evidence my mother accumulated to the police.

I’m taking all the trash out of my life.

Chapter Forty-Five

Ava

Iuse my mother one last time, but I go to her myself. Make it seem like everything is okay between us again. To avoid a scandal, I need a judge who’ll dissolve Raul’s paternity without question. The appearance of being on the same page about the Tucker legacy in Bellerive is enough. Without hesitation, she gives me a name, and Caitlin puts the paperwork in motion to solidify my divorce and rectify Stephen’s position as Landon’s rightful father.

All my personal belongings that I don’t need immediately, I transfer to storage for whenever Stephen and I decide where and how we’ll live.

Six weeks after Raul signs the divorce papers, it really feels like my life is coming together, finally.

“How are you doing?” Stephen asks as we load Landon into the car to head to Sawyer’s house for a family meeting.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “Stopping my mother is the right thing to do, but that doesn’t make it easy. The better my life is, the harder it is to cling to my anger and resentment.”

He nods and gets into the car. I slide into the front seat beside him.

“You don’t have to cling to anything,” Stephen says before he starts the car. “You get to decide.”