The One He Never Held novel · Chapter 14 of 24

Chapter 14: The Wrong Signature

Jo's POV

Lucille did not sit down. She stood over my table with her pearls and her good coat and let the whole café watch.

"Joanna. I'm sorry to bring this here."

She wasn't sorry. She had picked the lunch rush on purpose.

"My son has signed. He asked that I deliver it myself."

I opened the envelope.

A petition for divorce. Four pages, typed, with Damian Deverill's name on the last line.

The signature was his. I had seen it on my own contract a hundred times.

But the S had torn right through the paper.

The room had gone quiet. A man at the counter lowered his fork.

"Thank you for bringing it," I said.

"You'll be provided for. Lionel insists."

"I'm sure he does."

She waited for me to cry. I folded the pages in thirds and put them in my bag.

When she left, the door swung shut behind her and the bell rang twice.

"Jo," Tim said, very low, beside my chair. "Jo, look at me."

"I'm fine."

"You're white as a plate."

"I'm fine."

I was not fine. I sat there and thought of the week I had asked Damian for.

He had walked out and gone straight to the man I was trying to catch.

I had told myself in that kitchen that I knew exactly what I had done to him.

I had not known it would hurt this much to be on the other side.

Hailey found me an hour later in the stairwell above the café.

She was in Tim's sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled four times, holding a stranger's phone.

"Jo, he texted me. The neighbor's number, the one I used to call you. He knew I'd keep it."

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