Mom, Don't Cry! Here comes a new Daddy! novel Chapter 9

& Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Claim

(Dustin’s POV)

The first notification comes through at seven-thirty in the morning, right when I’m about to head into a meeting with a potential client.

My phone buzzes. Then again. And again.

Five messages from colleagues. Three from former clients. Two from competitors who I know are just reaching out to gloat.

All of them have the same link.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF STERLING & CO. ACCUSED OF ABUSE OF POWER

I click it, my coffee forgotten, and feel the blood drain from my face as I read.

Sources claim that Jessica Morgan, recently appointed Creative Director, terminated a

seven-year employee without cause following a personal conflict. The former employee, whose identity is being protected, had been with Sterling & Co. since…

“Fuck.” The word escapes before I can stop it.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Jessica said she’d handle it quietly. A simple layoff, some severance, done. Sabrina would be desperate enough to negotiate, and we’d work out the custody arrangement without the mess of lawyers and courts.

But now this? This is a disaster.

My office door bangs open and Jessica storms in, her face flushed with anger. “Did you see-

“I saw.”

“This is your wife’s doing!” She’s practically vibrating with rage. “She’s trying to ruin me!”

“Ex-wife,” I correct automatically, even though the divorce hasn’t been finalized. “And we don’t know it was her.”

“Who else would it be? She threatened to file a complaint with HR yesterday. Now this?” Jessica starts pacing, her heels clicking violently against the floor. “My father is livid. The board is calling an emergency meeting. This kind of publicity is bad for the company. And if we’re going to court for your son, we don’t need it right now.”

I should feel bad for her. I should be angry at Sabrina for what is clearly retaliation.

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Chapter 9

But all I can think is: When did she get so brave?

Claim

In seven years of marriage, Sabrina never fought back. Not when I forgot our anniversary. Not when I missed Jake’s school plays for client dinners. Not even when I stayed late at the office night after night, claiming deadlines when really I was just avoiding going home.

She was compliant. Agreeable. Easy enough to coax.

That’s part of why Jessica’s return threw me so completely. Being with Jessica was thrilling, dangerous, enjoyable. Being with Sabrina on the other hand was… boring.

But the woman who walked out of Sterling & Co. yesterday with her head high, who threatened legal action without blinking, who just leaked this story to the press-that’s not

the Sabrina I married.

That’s not the Sabrina I know at all, and this change…it threw me off guard. I’m not sure what

to do about it.

“We need to do damage control,” Jessica is saying, still pacing. “Take control of the narrative before this spirals out of control.”

“How?” I ask, genuinely at a loss. “If we issue a statement, we confirm the story. If we don’t, people assume it’s true anyway.”

“Then we discredit her.” Jessica stops, turning to me with that calculating look she gets when she’s planning something ruthless. “Your wife-ex-wife-she’s unstable, right? Going through a divorce, losing her job, she’s probably depressed, desperate, nursing resentment with nowhere to vent. We paint her as a disgruntled employee using her lay off as a means to vent

at society.”

Something about that doesn’t sit right with me. “Jessica, I don’t think-”

“What? You don’t think we should defend ourselves?” Her eyes narrow. “She’s trying to destroy my career, Dustin. Our careers. Because apparently she’s not content with just ruining our personal lives.”

“She caught us in bed together,” I point out, my voice sharper than intended. “I think she has a right to be angry.”

“So you’re taking her side now?”

“I’m not taking anyone’s side. I’m just saying, maybe we pushed too hard. The custody thing, the firing-”

“The custody thing was your idea,” Jessica reminds me coldly. “You’re the one who said you wanted full custody. You’re the one who said Sabrina would cave if we applied enough

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Chapter 9

pressure.”

She’s right, and I hate her for it. Because I did say those things. I did believe that Sabrina would fold, that she’d be too afraid of losing everything to fight back.

Claim

Because the years of living together gave me the impression that she’s weak, obedient, and easy to manipulate.

I was wrong.

My phone rings. Unknown number. I almost don’t answer, but something makes me pick up.

“Mr. Reed? This is Melissa Park from the City Tribune. I’m doing a story on the situation at Sterling & Co. and I’d love to get your perspective-”

I hang up immediately.

“Fucking reporters,” I mutter. “They have nothing better to do than stick their noses in other people’s business.”

Jessica’s face goes pale. “They’re calling you too?”

“Apparently.”

We stare at each other, the reality of the situation finally sinking in. This isn’t just about a wrongful termination anymore. It has gone public, and if people dig in too deep, things are gonna get messy when they find out about Jessica and I sleeping together.

“My father will handle it,” Jessica finally says, but she sounds less certain now. “He’s a major shareholder. One word from him and this all goes away. We’ll have Sabrina blacklisted. Every agency in the city will know not to hire her. She’ll be desperate, broke, unable to afford a custody battle. You’ll get Jake, and she won’t be able to do anything about it.”

The vindictiveness in her voice should thrill me. It’s what I loved about Jessica-her ruthlessness, her willingness to do whatever it took to win.

But right now, all I can think about is Jake’s phone call last night. His little voice, shaking with anger and tears, telling me he hated me. That I was mean to his mother. That he never wanted to live with me.

I told myself it didn’t matter. That he was just a kid, that he’d understand when he was older. That once I had custody, he’d see I was the better parent.

But what if I’m wrong about that too? What if he never understands, and hates me for life?

“Dustin?” Jessica is watching me, her expression guarded. “You’re with me on this, right?”

Chapter 9

Clain

I look at her-really look at her. At the woman I thought I couldn’t live without, the one I threw away my marriage for. She’s beautiful, successful, everything I’ve ever adored about her.

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