Page 97 of The KING Review

I feel my jaw flex. Instinct is to push back, volley the accusation right back at Marie, but that’s just going to give this whole thing more oxygen. I run a hand through my hair, trying to calm myself down. “I’m not. No one’s been over when Sera is in my custody. Full stop. She’s making this up to screw with me.”

Ellie’s gaze is flat, all business, but underneath, I can see the permafrost crack. “Grant, if I thought Marie was being unreasonable, I’d tell her to take a hike. You know me. But I have to put Sera first. That’s the job. Sera—not you or Marie—is my client. The buck stops with her.”

A bolt of guilt zaps through my chest, sharp enough to sting. I stare at the tabletop, the grain of the wood blurring a little. “There hasn’t been any change, Ellie. Sera’s whole world is the same as it’s always been. I’m not rocking the boat.”

“But there has been a change in circumstances.” Ellie’s voice is soft but certain. “Not for Sera, maybe. But for you.”

I hesitate. “I’ve… been seeing someone,” I admit. I brace for the interrogation, but Ellie is quiet, just studying me.

“It’s Neve, right?”

I blink. “How the hell did you know that?”

She snorts, but it’s not unkind. “Liv saw you two at her show. And Cade said you’ve been happier than usual. That’s two data points.”

I want to bury my face in my hands. Instead, I dig my fingers into my thigh. “It’s not a thing around Sera. I wouldn’t do that without disclosing it. You know that.”

She studies me, patient. I know that move—it’s her favorite—let the other party panic themselves into the confession. Classic lawyer shit.

“Has there been any contact between Sera and Neve?”

I exhale a ragged breath. “Marie dropped Sera off early at my apartment two weeks ago. Again. I had to ask Neve to hide. It was humiliating, and we both hated it, but it was better than Marie using it against us. Sera… she went into my room to get my book, and she found Neve.” I drag a palm over my face. “Marie… does that sometimes, when she’s in one of her moods, or when she suspects something.”

Ellie snorts, but it’s far from amused. “Well, she was right this time.”

“That’s not the point,” I snap. “I’m not parading a bunch of strangers in front of my daughter. Neve… fuck, she hated it, but she understood. I’m not hiding her because I’m ashamed—I’m hiding her because I have to. Because Marie weaponizes everything.”

Ellie leans back, fingers laced over her stomach. “If you want, I can draft an addendum to the agreement. Set a formal boundary—she can’t bring Sera to your apartment unannounced, the same way you’re not supposed to show up at her place. It works both ways, Grant. You don’t have to let her walk all over you.”

I shake my head, jaw clenched. “That’ll just make things worse. If I push back now, after all this time, it makes me look like I’m hiding something. Like last changeover day was some kind of illicit fuckfest instead of a normal morning where, God forbid, my girlfriend stayed the night.”

My breath catches on the word.

Girlfriend.

I haven’t said it yet. Not to Neve. It feels almost juvenile. I’m forty-two; my girlfriend is twenty-six. But fuck, that’s what I want. I want her to be mine. I want to be hers. I don’t want to let Marie fuck this up for me.

Ellie lifts one shoulder. “You don’t have to let her have the upper hand, Grant.”

The words make something ugly flare in my chest. “What good does that do me, Ellie? Every time I try to set a boundary, she twists it around, makes it look like I’m the unstable one. Like I’m dangerous, or too reckless to parent my own kid. I’m not. You know I’m not. I just want one goddamn thing that she doesn’t get to touch and taint and twist into something terrible to suit her needs or get back at me for something I didn’t even do.”

My words echo in the room, and Ellie barely stifles her flinch at my raised voice. My mouth snaps shut, and I shake my head. Ellie doesn’t say anything right away. She just sits there, gaze fixed on me, waiting for the next move. If there’s one thing lawyers love more than talking, it’s letting someone else talk themselves into a corner.

I rake a hand through my hair. “Sorry,” I mutter. “Didn’t mean to… yeah.”

She shakes her head. “No need. I know it’s brutal.” Her voice softens. “You know I have to follow the thread she’s given me.” She taps the file. “I have to proceed with the review, Grant. You know that. So… what’s our play?”

My first instinct is to blow up Marie’s stupid manufactured drama, but I clamp down on it. I don’t want to hand her ammunition, especially not now. Instead, I stare at the wood grain and try to breathe through the static. It’s harder than it should be.

“I don’t want to do anything until I’ve talked to Neve,” I say. “I need to figure out what makes sense for both of us. For Sera, too. I don’t want to just… do something reactionary and then regret it.”

Ellie’s mouth twitches, and there’s something like pride in her eyes. Or maybe it’s just relief that I haven’t reached for the self-destruct button. “I can stall the review for a little while, but not long. Let me know what you want to do. Marie’s got it on her calendar, and she’s gunning for a motion to modify, which would be for full custody. Don’t wait too long.”

“Yeah. Okay.” I stand, because if I don’t move, I might actually combust. “Thanks, Ellie.”

She nods, all business again. “I’ll be here when you know.”

I walk out, letting the glass door swing shut behind me. The rain outside is colder now, more insistent. The air tastes metallic, the aftershock of adrenaline humming under my skin.