The Don Tore Up Our Divorce (Gemma and Cassian) novel Chapter 404

< The Don Tore Up Our Divorce

Chapter 404

Gemma’s POV

I turn to Molly. “At the station just now, right?“.

She nods quickly. “Everyone was focused on the screens. His phone was right there. It just took a second.” She looks from me to Zina.

“You… you won’t be mad, will you?”

A surprised laugh escapes me. “Mad? Molly, I haven’t e finished praising you yet. The initiative, and the flawless execution under pressure is brilliant.”

She slumps back against the seat with relief, a victorious smile playing on her lips.

From the passenger seat, I feel Cassian’s gaze on me, quietly observing. He is watching how we operate, a unit with its own language and defenses. After a long moment, his focus narrows back to me.

“Gemma, you should consider moving back to Oakhaven for a while. At least until this is settled. There are staff and security, it’s safer than you being alone in Urban Lane.”

Ungleniably, this option is the most practical.

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And that’s what annoys me. It’s always practicality with him, never emotions- and even that arrives too late.

Although, his presence here today wasn’t practical. It was inexplicable.

I meet his gaze directly. “How did you know I was at that cinema today?”

He doesn’t flinch, but there’s the barest hesitation. “I told you. I was there to watch a movie.”

“Do you honestly think I’m that gullible?” My voice is flat. The lie is paper–thin. That cinema is in a niche arts distra from his usual circuits of office, manor, and club.

miles

And Cassian Blackwell watching a romantic classic re–release? Sure, and the sky is green.

A flicker of irritation crosses his face. “I was trying to protect you. Is that a crime? No ‘thank you,‘ just an interrogation?”

The familiar defensiveness pushes my buttons. Before I can retort, a small, sheepish voice pipes up from the driver’s seat.

“I asked him to come.”

We both turn. Zina is staring very hard at the steering wheel,

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her knuckles white. The confession hangs in the air.

“What did you say?” My voice is dangerously quiet.

She shrinks, just a little. “I knew you didn’t want to involve Mikhail. And I was… I was scared, Gemma. Really scared William was going to hurt you. So I called him. Just in case.”

All the fight drains out of me, replaced by a weary kind of helplessness. She did it out of love, out of a sense of fear and foreboding that I had felt myself.

I can’t fault her for that, I sigh.

Cassian seizes the opening, “Gemma, your friend meant well.”

The statement is so absurd, given our history, that a bitter laugh almost bubbles up.

This is coming from the man who spent his time suggesting not so subtly that Zina was a bad influence, that her

‘unconventional‘ life might tarnish the Blackwell family’s image.

“Thanks for today,” I say, the words formal and final. I’m exhausted, my nerves frayed to nothing. “But it’s over. Can you leave now?”

I see the familiar frustration tighten his jaw. He’s lost count, I 3/9

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< Chapter 404

think, of how many times I’ve dismissed him since the divorce.

He glances at me, at my hand which has unconsciously returned to rest on my stomach, and something in his body language softens.

Reluctantly, he gives a sharp nod. “Fine.”

He gets out of the car without another word. Zina watches him go, then turns to me, her expression pleading. “Gemma, he really did come to help. He bought out half the theater to get in!”

“I don’t need it,” I say, my voice firmer now. “I don’t need his kind of help.”

The kind that comes with strings, with history, with a debt I refuse to owe. “Take me home. And no, you and Molly are not staying over. I need to be alone.”

XXX

A few days pass, a tense, watchful quiet settling over Urban Lane. The red dot on Molly’s map, William, behaves with boring normality, moving between his restaurant and

apartment.

Then, Antonios calls. The court date for the online defamation

case is set.

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< Chapter 404

On the morning of the hearing, I dress in soft, loose layers, aiming for comfort during what could be hours of sitting.

When I arrive at the courthouse, Antonios is waiting with a sleek briefcase in hand. The case isn’t a media circus, for which I’m grateful.

“Has the defendant arrived?”

I ask, scanning the few people milling about.

As if on cue, a nondescript black sedan glides to the curb. The passenger door opens, and a woman steps out. The sharp angles of her body are slumped with nervous energy, shrouded in a long coat despite the mild weather.

A large surgical mask obscures the lower half of her face, and oversized sunglasses hide her eyes. For a split second, her head turns toward me. I feel the weight of a gaze from behind the dark lenses before she quickly jerks away, hurrying up the steps as if she was being chased.

“That’s her,” Antonios confirms

“Is she a celebrity?” I murmur, puzzled by the extreme concealment.

“A micro–influencer. Fashion and gossip, a few hundred

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< Chapter 404

thousand followers. She’s built a brand on a carefully curated image. And this,” he gestures vaguely after her, “is not part of the aesthetic.”

We follow her inside. The courthouse lobby is quiet, and my gaze falls on a figure leaning against a pillar as if he owns the

space.

Cassian?

My steps falter. I shoot a questioning look at Antonios.

He leans in. “He’s here as an observer. It’s within his rights. We can’t stop him.”

His tone is neutral, professional.

I press my lips together, saying nothing. I walk past Cassian, not looking at him at all.

“When we’re in there,” Antonios instructs, “you let me do the talking. Only speak if the judge directly asks you a question. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she answers for what she’s done.”

“Thank you, Mr. Voss.”

He offers a warm, reassuring smile. “You’re Meredith’s friend. That makes you my friend too. This is what I do.”

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The hearing begins with a procedural formality that quickly falls away. From the moment Antonios stands, he begins his questioning in a precise, methodical, and utterly relentless

manner.

He doesn’t raise his voice, but every syllable leaves an impact.

“Ma’am,” he addresses the defendant, who seems to be trying to become one with her chair. “Are you aware that the articles you published and promoted contained demonstrably false statements that constitute defamation against my client?”

Silence.

Her head is bowed, a curtain of hair hiding the …ask.

Antonios paces slowly, “Under the law, defamation requires the publication of a false statement of fact that harms another’s reputation. The penalties can be severe. Fines, compensation, and egregious cases, even incarceration. Are you aware your actions have placed you in that category?”

The word ‘incarceration‘ does it. Her head snaps up. I see a flash of panic in her eyes before she looks wildly toward her own lawyer, a man who seems to be regretting his career choices.

Antonios doesn’t let the defense lawyer breathe. He turns to the judge and begins presenting evidence: printouts of tweets, 7/9

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<Chapter 404

analytics showing reach, archived pages.

The digital paper trail is damning and immense. He holds up a sheaf of papers.

“Ma’am, can you confirm that you are the individual responsible for publishing these posts from the account ‘GossipVanguard‘?”

She opens her mouth, a faint “I—” escaping before it’s choked off by fear.

Her lawyer leaps to his feet. “Your Honor, counsel is badgering the witness! He’s leading her!”

Antonios shrugs innocently and takes a step back.

The judge peers over his glasses at the trembling woman. “Ma’am, did you, or did you not, personally author and publish these posts about Ms. Marino?”

I can see her hands shaking from here. Antonios’s mention of jail time is clearly echoing in her mind in a terrifying loop. Her lawyer sees her crumbling. He steps forward again, his voice taking on a new, desperate strategy.

“Your Honor, my client maintains that during the period in question, her social media account was compromised. Hacked, so to say. She had no knowledge of the defamatory material 8/9

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< Chapter 404

On the morning of the hearing, I dress in soft, loose aiming for comfort during what could be hours of:

‘rs,

When I arrive at the courthouse, Antonios is waiting with a sleek briefcase in hand. The case isn’t a media circus, for which I’m grateful.

“Has the defendant arrived?”

I ask, scanning the few people milling about.

As if on cue, a nondescript black sedan glides to the curb. The passenger door opens, and a woman steps out. The sharp angles of her body are slumped with nervous energy, shrouded in a long coat despite the mild weather.

A large surgical mask obscures the lower half of her face, and oversized sunglasses hide her eyes. For a split second, her head turns toward me. I feel the weight of a gaze from behind the dark lenses before she quickly jerks away, hurrying up the steps as if she was being chased.

“That’s her,” Antonios confirms

“Is she a celebrity?” I murmur, puzzled by the extreme concealment.

66

“A micro–influencer. Fashion and gossip, a few hundred

5/9

10:17

+9 Bonus

< Chapter 404

thousand followers. She’s built a brand on a carefully curated image. And this,” he gestures vaguely after her, “is not part of the aesthetic.”

We follow her inside. The courthouse lobby is quiet, and my gaze falls on a figure leaning against a pillar as if he owns the

space.

Cassian?

My steps falter. I shoot a questioning look at Antonios.

He leans in. “He’s here as an observer. It’s within his rights. We can’t stop him.”

His tone is neutral, professional.

I press my lips together, saying nothing. I walk past Cassian, not looking at him at all.

“When we’re in there,” Antonios instructs, “you let me do the talking. Only speak if the judge directly asks you a question. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she answers for what she’s done.”

“Thank you, Mr. Voss.”

He offers a warm, reassuring smile. “You’re Meredith’s friend. That makes you my friend too. This is what I do.”

6/9

10:17

+9 Bonus

< Chapter 404

The hearing begins with a procedural formality that quickly falls away. From the moment Antonios stands, he begins his questioning in a precise, methodical, and utterly reler loss

manner.

He doesn’t raise his voice, but every syllable leaves an impact.

“Ma’am,” he addresses the defendant, who seems to be trying to become one with her chair. “Are you aware that the articles you published and promoted contained demonstrably false statements that constitute defamation against my client?”

Silence.

Her head is bowed, a curtain of hair hiding the mask.

Antonios paces slowly, “Under the law, defamation requires the publication of a false statement of fact that harms another’s reputation. The penalties can be severe. Fines, compensation, and egregious cases, even incarceration. Are you aware your actions have placed you in that category?”

The word ‘incarceration‘ does it. Her head snaps up. I see a flash of panic in her eyes before she looks wildly toward her own lawyer, a man who seems to be regretting his career

choices.

Antonios doesn’t let the defense lawyer breathe. He turns to the judge and begins presenting evidence: printouts of tweets, 7/9

10:17

+9 Bonus

< Chapter 404

analytics showing reach, archived pages.

The digital paper trail is damning and immense. He holds up a sheaf of papers.

“Ma’am, can you confirm that you are the individu. responsible for publishing these posts from the account ‘GossipVanguard“?”

She opens her mouth, a faint “I—” escaping before it’s choked off by fear.

Her lawyer leaps to his feet. “Your Honor, counsel is badgering the witness! He’s leading her!”

Antonios shrugs innocently and takes a step back.

The judge peers over his glasses at the trembling woman. “Ma’am, did you, or did you not, personally author and publish these posts about Ms. Marino?”

I can see her hands shaking from here. Antonios’s mention of jail time is clearly echoing in her mind in a terrifying loop. Her lawyer sees her crumbling. He steps forward again, his voice taking on a new, desperate strategy.

“Your Honor, my client maintains that during the period in question, her social media account was compromised. Hacked, so to say. She had no knowledge of the defamatory material 8/9

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< Chapter 404

being posted in her name.”