The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 317

“I’ve reviewed the divorce agreement you and Mr. Harper previously drafted,” Heath said. “You didn’t make a single claim for any assets. Why is that?”

“I don’t need them,” Lavinia replied flatly, looking away.

“Do you know how much Mr. Harper is paying me in retainer fees?” Heath asked.

Lavinia stayed silent.

“Seven figures,” Heath said with a light chuckle.

“I’ve been handling divorce cases for years, and this is the first time I’ve encountered a situation like this. One party wants absolutely nothing and just wants out; the other party is willing to drop a seven-figure legal fee just to stop the divorce.”

He paused. “Do you know what that means?”

Lavinia stared right at him, emphasizing every word. “It means Garnett is a manipulative bastard to his core. He just doesn’t want to see me move on.”

Heath gave a wry smile and shook his head.

He looked at her and said deliberately, “It means he loves you very much.”

Lavinia’s eyes went wide. She was deeply offended by that conclusion.

No, to be exact, she felt insulted by the very statement.

“Who are you to jump to conclusions? How much do you actually know about what happened between us?”

“I don’t need to know much. To judge a situation, you only need one core fact.”

Heath held her gaze. “Ms. Joplin, perhaps he has never actually said the words. But based on my years of experience handling these cases, I am two hundred percent certain that he loves you deeply.”

He shifted gears. “On the flip side, what makes you so absolutely certain that he has zero affection for you?”

“What do you know! He—”

“Lavinia. Don’t engage with him.”

Charley’s voice rang out from behind her.

Lavinia froze and turned around to see him walking over with unhurried composure.

Charley stepped up next to Lavinia, planted his feet, and stared at Heath.

“Mr. Kenyon. A pleasure. If you have any questions, please communicate them through me. Do not contact my client directly,” Charley said evenly.

Heath looked at Charley, their gazes clashing in the air between them.

“How is that possible? Stop joking. He just hates to lose.”

Charley didn’t push it.

He hit the turn signal, pulled out of the parking spot, and merged smoothly into traffic.

***

The first pre-trial mediation for Lavinia and Garnett’s divorce took place in a room at the courthouse.

The judge asked if there was any possibility of reconciliation.

Garnett stated there was no need for reconciliation because things had never been bad. He refused to consent to the divorce.

Heath submitted call logs, messaging app screenshots, and building management records to argue that the marriage was not fundamentally broken and could still be salvaged.

Garnett sat beside him, his back ramrod straight, his eyes locked onto Lavinia’s face across the table.

She didn’t look at him.

Charley submitted proof of separation. Lavinia had moved out of the Arden Estate six months ago. During that time, Garnett had never once made an effort to visit Lavinia's sick uncle, until a coincidental encounter at the hospital on Marina Island.