Chapter 42 Amends
Timothy
The car pulled away from the curb, and only then did I allow myself to exhale.
It left me in a rush, like I’d been holding my breath the entire drive to the shelter and only just noticed. My shoulders eased back against the leather seat, jaw unclenching by degrees. The image of Hannah standing there, awkward smile, puppy tucked into her arms, eyes a little too bright refused to leave me.
The goodbye had been… strange. Not hostile. Not warm either. A hesitant in-between that unsettled me far more than coldness ever had.
I straightened, irritation flaring at myself , and pulled my phone out instead. Work. That, at least, made sense.
By the time I arrived at the office, I’d already answered half a dozen emails and dictated two replies. The familiar glass-and-steel building steadied me. Here, things moved according to logic. Numbers. Strategy. Leverage.
Rowan was already waiting in my office, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, a tablet balanced on his knee.
“You’re late,” Rowan said mildly.
“You’re early,” I countered, dropping my jacket over the chair and moving straight to the desk.
Within minutes, we were buried in documents. Forecasts. Risk assessments. Expansion plans. I focused with ruthless efficiency, pushing everything else aside. Meetings followed in rapid succession, each bleeding into the next until time lost its shape.
One meeting, however, dragged.
Jacob Gregory was charming in the way men with too much money often were; affable, loud, convinced the room bent slightly toward him. By the time we wrapped up, my patience was thin but miraculously intact.
Jacob rose and shook my hand firmly. “This has been productive. Very productive.”
“Agreed,” I said smoothly.
Jacob grinned. “You know, Samantha would love to meet your wife. We should do dinner. A double date sort of thing. This weekend, maybe?”
The suggestion landed heavier than it should have. But I needed this deal closed by every means possible.
I didn’t hesitate. I smiled, practiced and flawless. “Of course. We’ll have our assistants coordinate.”
“Perfect,” Jacob said, clearly pleased. “She’s heard so much about Hannah.”
My smile held until the man turned away and left the room.
Rowan shot me a look the second the door closed. “You realize…”
“We’re late,” I cut in briskly, already moving toward the next meeting room.
Rowan fell silent, though the look lingered.
The rest of the day blurred. When it finally ended, I felt wrung out in a way exhaustion alone couldn’t explain. Rowan and I walked out together, the sim evening light casting long shadows across the lobby floor.
Rowan was distracted, head bent over his phone, brows drawn together. His thumbs paused, then typed again.
I glanced sideways. “Everything okay?”
Rowan hummed noncommittally.
I caught the name on the screen before Rowan pocketed the phone.
“Nina?” I asked lightly.
Rowan’s jaw tightened for a fraction of a second before he shrugged. “Work.”
It wasn’t convincing. I narrowed my eyes but unlike Rowan, I recognized boundaries so I let it go.
We stepped outside. Rowan adjusted his jacket and looked at me with a knowing smirk. “So. Where to?”
“Home,” I replied without thinking.
Rowan arched a brow. “Look at you. Sleeping at home again instead of the penthouse.”
I scowled. “I said I’d make an effort.”
“With work?” Rowan teased.
“With… everything,” I snapped, then immediately regretted the sharpness.
Rowan studied me. “How’s Hannah?”
My mouth tightened. “Fine.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.”
Rowan sighed but didn’t push. “Alright. Don’t work yourself into the ground.”
I gave a curt nod, already turning away. “Goodnight.”
I didn’t wait for a response before getting into the car.
As the city slid past the windows, my earlier calm unraveled. Home. The word felt heavier than it had weeks ago. I hadn’t realized when it started, only that lately, the idea of not going there unsettled him more than the idea of doing so.
Hannah’s face rose unbidden in my mind. The way she’d clutched the puppy. The way she’d hesitated before accepting my offer that morning, as though weighing the cost of trusting me.
I sighed. I said I was going to make an effort and I meant it. If we could manage to be cordial and on good terms with each other, it would benefit them both.
But it was only temporary; I reminded myself.
I was still going to divorce her.