Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 83

At 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Wren arrived at the Langford Estate early.

She didn't go inside.

Parking her car right outside the gates, she sent Leo a quick text.

[I'm here.]

A moment later, a voice message came through from his smartwatch.

"Mom, I'm coming out right now!"

His voice was bubbling with unfiltered excitement.

Listening to his voice, a soft smile touched Wren's lips.

She wasn't wearing her lab coat or a stiff pantsuit today—just a light gray knit sweater and black slacks. The weather had grown chilly, so she had placed a kid's jacket on the passenger seat.

When Leo was younger, he was always forgetting his things.

In the past, she would run around prepping everything for him in advance.

She still prepped for him now, but she no longer treated that caretaking as an excuse to remain trapped in the Langford family.

A few minutes later, the estate gates swung open.

Leo ran out with his little backpack, with Willow trailing right behind him.

The smile on Wren's face faded slightly.

Willow was wearing a cream-colored coat and holding a thermos, looking for all the world like she was joining them for dinner.

Leo rushed to the car and pulled the door open.

"Mom!"

Wren reached out and ruffled his hair. "Slow down."

Just as Leo was about to climb in, Willow approached, her voice dripping with sweetness.

"Wren, Leo shouldn't eat anything too salty tonight, so I brought his water bottle. Oh, and he's been coughing a bit before bed lately, so it's best if you bring him back before eight."

Her tone was far too practiced.

She sounded exactly like a mother giving instructions to a babysitter.

The bright joy on Leo's face slowly stiffened.

He looked down at Wren, then back at Willow, muttering, "Willow, I'm just going out to dinner with my mom."

Willow's face paled imperceptibly.

*Don't misunderstand.*

Those phrases had formed a suffocating web that kept her trapped for six years.

But she was done playing their game.

"She can care all she wants," Wren said coolly. "But Leo is my son. When I take him out to dinner, I don't need her permission."

Lawrence frowned. "No one said you needed her permission."

"Then tell her to move."

The air fell dead silent.

A tear finally slipped down Willow's cheek.

Lawrence's expression darkened. "Wren, do you really have to speak like this in front of him?"

Wren glanced down at Leo.

The little boy was standing by the car door, gripping his backpack straps tight, anxiety written all over his face.

In the past, the second she saw that look on his face, she would immediately back down.