While I Watched Their Kids, He Lived a Secret Life novel · Chapter 23 of 24

Chapter 23: The Hearing

The hearing was set for a Tuesday morning in late August, in the same county building where Ian had won his weekends.

I wore the gray suit I'd bought for my mother's funeral.

My lawyer, a tall woman with a silver braid, met me at the metal detector.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Good. He won't be."

Neil sat on a bench outside the courtroom with his own lawyer beside him.

He had lost weight.

His blazer hung loose at the shoulders, and the easy grin was gone from his face.

He stood when he saw me.

"Mags."

"Neil."

"Can I talk to you? Alone. Two minutes."

My lawyer started to answer, and I touched her sleeve.

"Here," I said. "Where people can hear."

He swallowed.

A dozen people sat on the benches along the wall, waiting on their own cases.

They looked up.

"I made a mistake," Neil said, in a low voice. "I'm not asking you to take me back. I'm asking you to be fair."

"Go on."

"The house. Let's sell it, split it, and we both walk away. I'll drop the adultery claim. I'll sign anything you want about the money. I just can't afford to lose the house and the settlement and..."

He stopped.

"And the baby," I said.

His eyes dropped.

"I've got a hundred and eight thousand dollars to my name, Maggie. If I owe child support on top of that..."

"Then you shouldn't have slept with my sister."

"Don't be cruel."

"I'm not," I said. "I'm being exact."

A woman on the bench nearby covered her mouth to hide a smile.

"The house was bought with my mother's money," I said. "It's mine, and it stays mine. Your lawyer has seen the closing papers."

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