Chapter 28
Chapter 28:
“I need a lawyer,” June said quietly. “Not a divorce lawyer. A shark. The meanest, most expensive one in New York p>
Miles’s expression settled into something grim and protective. “I know just the man p>
Cole walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.
“Who was on the phone?” he asked.
Alycia was sitting on the bed with an expression of practiced innocence. She set his phone back on the nightstand.
“Spam call,” she said, stretching her arms above her head and letting the sheet fall to reveal her lace lingerie. “No one important p>
Cole picked up the phone and checked the call log.
Incoming Call: June. Duration: 42 seconds.
His eyes narrowed. “June called p>
“She did,” Alycia said with a small shrug. “I answered, but she didn’t say anything. Just silence. Probably checking whether you were alone p>
W𝘩𝖺𝘁 e𝗏er𝘺𝗈𝘯е іs 𝗋𝖾а𝗱𝘪𝘯𝘨 o𝘯.с𝘰𝘮
Cole stared at the screen. She had stood him up at the courthouse yesterday. Now she was calling to listen in silence.
A surge of irritation moved through him.
“She’s losing it,” Cole muttered. He tossed the phone onto the duvet. “If she calls again, don’t answer. Let her deal with my lawyers p>
He turned back toward Alycia. He tried to summon some warmth, some wanting.
But all he could think about was the silence on the other end of that line.
The process servers arrived at the hospital at eight o’clock sharp on Friday morning.
Two men in cheap suits who carried themselves like undertakers. They did not care that this was an ICU step-down unit. They did not care that the woman in the bed looked like porcelain that had been carefully glued back together.
“June Erickson?” the taller one asked.
June looked up from her iPad. She had been reviewing the clinical trial data for Project Phoenix. Work was the only anesthetic that still functioned.
He dropped a thick envelope onto her lap. It landed with a heavy thud.
“You’ve been served p>
They turned and left.
Sloane Harper, who had been arranging roses in a vase by the window, let the flowers fall.
“Are you serious?” Sloane said, her voice pitching upward. “They served you in the ICU? That is genuinely demonic p>
June opened the envelope. Her fingers were steady and unhurried.
Motion to Enforce Prenuptial Agreement. Restraining Order: June Erickson is prohibited from entering Compton Tower or contacting Cole Compton. Motion to File for Default Judgment. Petition to Freeze Assets.
Cole was not simply divorcing her. He was erasing her.
“He wants to freeze my accounts,” June said, scanning the fine print. “He’s claiming I embezzled funds from the household account to finance a secret life p>
Sloane’s jaw dropped. “He thinks you stole grocery money p>
“No,” June said, a dry smile barely touching her lips. “He thinks I’m a thief. He has absolutely no idea where the money came from p>
She closed the folder.
“Sloane,” June said. “Call your cousin p>
“Easton?” Sloane’s eyes went wide. “Easton Hahn? The one who made a sitting senator cry on the stand last month p>
“Him p>
“He’s expensive, June. ‘Sell-your-soul’ expensive p>