Over Before She Loved Me novel · Chapter 12 of 24

Chapter 12: Terms

Barrett's mouth opened and closed.

Joelle watched him look for a lie and not find one.

"The hospital portal," he said at last. "Dustin's login is still the proxy on her chart. The husband's access never got removed."

"You used my login," Dustin said.

"I wanted to know if she was all right."

"You read her private record and used it to tell me she was a gold digger," Joelle said.

Her voice was shaking, but it was loud enough to carry.

"At the restaurant Dustin called me, and you took my phone out of my hand and declined the call."

A partner murmured, "He did what?"

Dolores sat down slowly.

"Barrett Coyle," said the gray-haired partner. "This board is going to vote."

It took four minutes.

Eight hands went up to remove him as counsel.

Dolores's did not.

She sat with her palms flat on the table and her eyes on the folder, and no one asked her to explain.

Two security guards came to the door.

Barrett looked at Dustin.

"Thirteen years."

"You should have kept your hands off her phone," Dustin said.

Barrett turned to Joelle.

She stood up and walked to the end of the table, until she was close enough to see the small broken veins in his eyes.

"You told me you'd hold my phone until I got home," she said. "You didn't hand it back until you thought it was safe."

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