Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 205

"Yeah?"

"Is the judge going to ask me who I want to live with?"

Wren’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"Who told you that?"

Leo kept his head down, picking at the zipper of his backpack.

"A classmate did. He said when his cousin's parents got divorced, the judge asked his cousin, and his cousin said he wanted to live with his mom. Then his dad stopped coming to see him for a really long time."

Wren pulled the car over to the side of the road.

The rain had started up again—a fine, dense drizzle that pelted the windshield.

She turned around, looking at the tiny boy in the backseat.

"Leo, listen to me," she said, her voice soft but entirely resolute. "No matter how the adults' relationship changes, it will never be because of something you said wrong. Missing your dad won't hurt me. And missing me isn't a betrayal to your dad."

Leo’s eyes welled with tears.

"But Dad will be unhappy."

Wren's throat tightened painfully.

She had to bite back the urge to say, "That is your father's problem."

A child couldn't shoulder that kind of harsh truth.

Instead, she simply said, "Dad is responsible for his own emotions."

Leo looked confused, only half-understanding.

He lowered his head and whispered, "What about you, Mom?"

Wren froze.

Leo looked up at her. "Are you responsible for your own emotions too?"

The windshield wipers swept across the glass with a quiet hum.

Wren was suddenly rendered speechless.

She had always believed she was shielding her son flawlessly, but Leo had seen everything all along. He had watched her endure the crushing silence at the Langford dinner table. He had seen her smile and serve him food right after Eleanor berated her. He had witnessed her take Lawrence's calls, utterly exhausted, yet still forcing out a, "Alright, I understand."

The child had memorized every single instance.

And he had used his tiny shoulders to worry for her.

Lawrence fell silent for two seconds.

Then he said, "We're not divorced yet."

Wren turned the heat down.

"And your point?"

"My point is, you are still Mrs. Langford."

Those words hit her ears, but Wren felt no flare of anger.

She barely felt a ripple of emotion.

In the past, that title would have stung her to the core, because it represented a position she had once desperately wanted.

Now, it sounded like nothing more than a layer of stale dust.

"Lawrence," she said. "If I move back, there will be conditions."

His voice dropped an octave. "You're negotiating with me?"

"First, I stay in The East Wing Guest Suite. Second, I am only responsible for Leo and myself. I will no longer handle The Langford Estate's chores, social obligations, banquets, or your personal life. Third, absolutely no one is allowed to mention the divorce, custody, or the family inheritance in front of Leo."