Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 147

Wren didn't head straight back to Stellaris after leaving Langford Medical.

She sat in her car, leaving the engine off for a long time.

The harsh white lights of the parking garage turned her windows into cold, unforgiving mirrors. She looked at her reflection. Her face was relatively composed, but her jaw was locked tight.

The red ring around her wrist had already blossomed into a faint bruise.

Lawrence's grip had been brutal.

So brutal that just glancing at it made a wave of sick nausea churn in her stomach.

It wasn't fear.

It was pure revulsion.

She rolled the window down an inch. The cold air swept in, clearing the suffocating tension trapped inside the cabin. After a long moment, she pulled out her phone and took several pictures of her wrist.

Front angle, side angle, with a timestamp.

She sent them directly to her lawyer.

[At approximately 4:20 PM today, Lawrence Langford forcefully grabbed me and attempted unwanted physical contact in the executive reception room at Langford Medical. I explicitly refused him. Moving forward, please ensure all communications are in writing or handled with a third party present.]

After hitting send, she stared at the screen for a few seconds.

She never would have done this in the past.

In the past, whenever Lawrence crossed a line, her first instinct wasn't to gather evidence, but to make excuses for him.

He'd been drinking.

He was stressed.

He just had a domineering personality.

They were husband and wife, after all.

Those excuses had acted like layers of gauze, wrapping up her true feelings until she couldn't even tell the difference between feeling wronged and being violated.

Now, she finally understood.

Marriage wasn't a license for abuse.

And silence was never consent.

Her lawyer replied almost instantly.

[Received. I strongly suggest preserving the original metadata of these photos and obtaining a medical record if possible. If he attempts this again, we can file for a restraining order. This will also serve as supporting evidence for marital fault and child custody evaluations. Do not meet with him alone from now on.]

Wren read the words 'Do not meet with him alone' and let out a slow, shaking breath.

She should have learned this a long time ago.

She didn't have to face him directly every time he demanded a meeting.

She didn't have to prioritize his dignity over her own safety during every negotiation.

She set her phone aside and started the engine.

Wren went quiet for a few seconds.

Of course she had thought about backing out.

In the split second Lawrence had lunged at her, she had felt so sickened that the thought of stepping into any room connected to the Langford name made her want to throw up.

But being disgusted wouldn't win back what belonged to her mother.

And it wouldn't help Stellaris take back the narrative.

"I'm going," she said.

Phoebe looked at her steadily. "You don't have to prove you're not afraid."

Wren looked up.

It was a simple sentence, but it struck right at her core.

She suddenly realized how often she lived her life trying to prove something.

Proving she could handle the pressure.

Proving she was rational.

Proving she wasn't going to fall apart the second she walked away from the Langford family.

Proving she wasn't just a discarded wife.