Page 56 of Just Desserts

Rage ran through me hot and fiery. How dare he? I owed THEM an apology? After how they're treated me? Exiling me from the family in preference of Isla? Choosing her over their own daughter?

"I just thought you would want to know you're going to be grandparents." I told them, waiting for the realization to hit them. I'm not sure where the lie came from, but I needed a reaction from them.

I needed them to acknowledge their tie to me even if that manifested in the form of a fictional grandchild. My mothers eyes widened and she gave a small gasp, falling back in her seat. My father slumped down onto the arm of the chair, wrapping my mother up against his side.

"How does Jonathan feel about becoming a father?" He asked, anger clear in his face.

"I'm not here to talk about Jonathan becoming a father, I'm here to talk to you two about becoming grandparents. Or have you disowned me completely? Do you want nothing to do with your first grandbabies life? Or does Isla need to have a baby for you to care about it." I seethed.

"I can see you need some time to digest this information, I just wanted to let you know. When you're ready to be a part of yourgrandchild's life, you know where to reach me." I said, standing up to leave, priding myself on my holier than thou facade.

I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before. With a baby in the picture, they would have to forgive me, as gatekeeper to their grandchild they would have no choice but to apologize, beg me to rejoin the family fold. With that thought boosting my mood I left the house with a spring in my step. It was time to pay a visit to Jonathan.

Jonathan

I was fucked. Well and truly fucked. My parents had blocked my number and I was already receiving notices regarding late mortgage payments on the house, forcing me to finally put it on the market. I had calculated how much I owed my parents and even if we sold above market price, I would be left with barely 10 grand at the end of the sale.

The final divorce packet we were going to court to sign off on next week had changed drastically due to all the times I had delayed discovery and forced the date to get moved. Instead of the initial split of assets Isla had asked for, Lydia was going for everything. The house, alimony, plus her lawyer fees which racked up because of my delay tactics.

They were also threatening my license in the process. Lydia had enough evidence of me misappropriating company funds as well as violating the non fraternization policy the practice had in place. If she handed that over to the right people I would lose my ability to practice in this state full stop.

Alyssa and I had reached an unspoken agreement where we avoided each other at all costs, especially at the office. We both had meetings with HR and were doing our best not to add fire to the flames. I was grateful for the reprieve but knew there was no way it would last forever.

If I had learned anything about Alyssa this last year it's how determined she could be. I wasn't fooling myself into thinking she was done with me, I was just grateful to not have to deal with that on top of everything else. With a sigh, I looked around my house. It was messy, I hadn't bothered to do much maintenance or cleaning since Isla left.

The realtor I hired was coming through tomorrow though so I had to do something about it. Taking another beer out of the fridge I was shocked when I heard the sound of keys in the front door. A small burst of hope sprung within me. Was Isla back? Did she want to talk? I rushed over to the entryway anxious to see her only to have the door swing open revealing Alyssa. She took a look at my face and snorted.

"Expecting someone else?" She asked jokingly before letting herself in and walking around me.

"Where did you get those keys?" I yelled, pointing to the set in her hands, recognizing the keychain they were dangling from. I had gotten it as a gift for Isla, from our college alma mater.

"Did you see Isla? What did you do to her?" I stormed after Alyssa, grabbing the keys from her hand and yanking her by the arm, turning her until she was facing me. She pulled her arm to her chest with a hiss, behaving as if I mortally wounded her.

"Hey! Is that any way to treat the mother of your child?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

I looked up to find Alyssa staring at me, an evil smile on her face. She leaned in, making sure she had my attention.

"Surprise! You're gonna be a daddy!"

There was ringing in my ears and the keys slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a thud.

Shortly after, my body followed.

Chapter 39

Isla

Time flew by quickly and there was a definitive shift in my relationship with Myles. We spent almost every night together, either at his place or mine. He had been slowly wooing me the last few weeks, a million small gestures that wove their way through my heart. It was the week before my court date, and I couldn’t believe it was finally here. Myles offered to come with me and I was conflicted.

I desperately wanted his support but I felt like this was something I needed to see through to the end. On my own. Jonathan had dicked me around for too long, I had moved past grief and was reveling in my anger. I was pissed, livid, annoyed, and put out. All emotions I didn't need in my life and that would end when I cut all ties from that pissant.

So as much as I loved the idea of Myles sitting beside me, having his strength at my back, I needed to do this alone. I needed to make it clear to Jonathan and everyone else that I was my own person, and this was my true choice. I wanted Jonathan gone from my life and I wanted to make sure he knew it. Mom, Jen, even Wes and Charlie offered to come and I had thanked all of them but asked them not to. I had Lydia and I had myself. That was enough.

I didn't sleep the night before court, as much as I tried to remain logical and calm all I could think about were legal loopholes Jonathan would find a way to weasel his way through. How much longer would he draw this out? By fouram I gave up trying to sleep and took a long shower and then climbed back into bed with my coffee. I stared unseeing at the TV for over an hour before forcing myself out of bed to get ready.

Taking more time than normal with my appearance, I found comfort in the routine movements of blow drying my hair and putting some makeup on. Fully dressed with my shoes, purse and jacket laid out I sat at my kitchen island. My phone rang startling me and I grappled for it, assuming it was an alarm I had set. I was surprised to see it was Myles calling.

"Myles? Is everything okay?" I whispered, glancing at my microwave to confirm it was before eight am.

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