Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 118

Willow discreetly glanced at Eleanor.

Eleanor might not know about Vivian Vance.

But someone in the Langford family did.

Margaret knew, and Lawrence was starting to dig.

If she wanted to beat Wren to the punch, she couldn't just rely on acting fragile and playing the victim.

She needed her own way in.

In the living room of the Langford Estate, the document lay squarely on the coffee table.

The white envelope bearing the court's red seal sat there coldly, more glaring than any screaming match could ever be.

Eleanor snatched up the papers, her face turning paler with every line she read.

Divorce litigation.

Mediation schedule.

Asset disclosure demands.

Custody and visitation petitions.

Every single word was a stark reminder that Wren was no longer throwing a tantrum in their living room; she had officially handed their marriage over to strangers to dissect.

"She's lost her mind," Eleanor slammed the documents onto the table. "She has absolutely lost her mind!"

Willow stood silently by her side.

Leo, having just been dropped off by the driver, stood in the foyer hugging his backpack. At the loud smack, his shoulders flinched visibly.

Willow saw it.

Normally, she would have rushed over to comfort him.

But today, she didn't move an inch.

She remembered how he had stepped away from her that morning.

The fact that the child was learning to say "no" sparked a petty irritation in her chest. But she kept her face entirely blank.

Eleanor ignored the boy and dialed Lawrence's number.

It rang for a long time before he answered.

"The court documents arrived." Eleanor didn't bother masking her fury. "Are you going to handle this or not? Wren is about to drag the Langford name through the mud!"

The line was dead silent for a moment.

Then, Lawrence finally spoke. "I know."

"You know?" Eleanor's voice spiked. "You know, and you're just letting her do this? First a mediation notice, what's next? A trial? Are you going to let the whole city know that Lawrence Langford is being sued by his own wife?"

"Mom," Lawrence's voice dropped to a dangerous pitch. "I will handle this."

"Handle it how? By dragging it out?" Eleanor scoffed. "Dragging it out until she leaks all the evidence? Until everyone finds out about you and Willow?"

Willow's fingers twitched at her sides.

Eleanor's words were blunt.

Humiliatingly blunt, but they also ignited a spark of desperate hope inside her.

She patted Willow's hand. "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer for nothing."

Willow's eyes welled with tears. "It doesn't matter to me. As long as Lawrence isn't put in a tough spot."

"You're just too sensible for your own good."

The second Eleanor finished her sentence, Leo's small voice piped up. "Mom was sensible too."

The living room plunged into dead silence.

Eleanor whipped around to glare at him. "What did you say?"

Leo hugged his backpack tight, his face pale, but he repeated it anyway. "Mom used to be really sensible too."

He didn't know how else to explain it.

He just suddenly remembered how his mom used to go to the hospital with his grandmother, holding her arm exactly like this. When his grandmother threw tantrums, his mom never argued back; she just set out the medicine and poured the water.

His mom got tired too.

But no one ever told her she was sensible.

Eleanor's face darkened completely. "Leo, are you learning how to talk back now?"

Tears instantly welled in the boy's eyes from being yelled at.

Watching him, Willow felt that familiar irritation bubble up again.

Wren wasn't even here, yet she was turning the child into someone completely different.

He used to follow Willow around, thinking she was the sweetest, most comforting person in the house.