Page 22 of Due Process
Did I mention that Daisy was a notorious flirt? It was innocent and never went anywhere—especially since she was obsessively in love with her husband. But that didn’t stop her filthy mouth from running.
Without missing a beat, she continued with a hum. “I miss you. Nearly as much as I miss yourdaddy.”
“Eww. Can you not?”
“Well, if I can’t talk about the ultimate DILF, at least let me talk about your other best friend… Might change that name from Curtis Wright to CurtisMight…get this pussy—”
“What does your husband think of your mouth, Daisy?”
“That it’s vulgar and perfect when it’s wrapped around his—”
“Ahh, alright! I’m hanging up.”
“No! Okay, okay, I concede.” She giggled. “Oh, look, the show is about to begin.”
We both locked in on the scene of Felix dragging Heather to the foyer. Daisy and I remained quiet, listening in on their conversation.
Then, time seemed to pause as I processed my oldest son entering the front door, quietly watching the scene before him play out, silently assessing the absurd scenario of his father fighting with an unknown woman.
For a split second, I saw his expression stall, his eyes bleeding with a certain knowing before they locked down.
“Shit,” Daisy whispered. “Did you see his face?”
My insides screamed for the splinter in my son’s innocence. “Eli’s not supposed to be there.” I choked. “He’s supposed to be at baseball practice.”
I never wanted this for my boys. I never wanted them to experience this pain. It wasn’t meant for them.Neverthem.
A particular coldness took me over, settling into every fibre of my being.
The stakes were too high, the repercussions long-lasting and irrevocable. No one hurt my boys. Fucking no one… including their own father.
My spine straightened, and my voice came out as hard as steel. “Daisy… there’s a change of plans.”
“We’re going nuclear?”
“Nuclear,” I confirmed.
Chapter 13
FELIX
It was the usual Saturday morning. Forced to work overtime to extinguish spot fires and placate difficult clients—which was expected when one was the CEO of a multi-million-dollar company.
But when did it get so tiring? When did I stop appreciating my role as a welcome challenge and start resenting the job that I once coveted above all else?
Like everything, it all came down to my wife.
Stella was the heart of the company. And I had to admit that I wouldn’t have gotten far without her love, support and tenacity.
With a far-fetched dream and the fearlessness that came with youth, we worked together to create an empire.
Sure, my rich father reluctantly fronted the money after making us sign and agree to his strict conditions. But it was Stella’s connections that brought in our elite clientele, the Foster name garnering the respect of numerous professional athletes.
We made a great team… until we didn’t. Having kids was naturally the next step, but I didn’t realise how much I would lose until I became the lowest on my wife’s priority list—scratch that, the lowest oneveryone’spriority list.
Since Eli had caught me in a heated discussion with Heather, he managed to dodge me at every turn. Sometimes, I’d catch his eyes on me, as if testing for something I had no way to prepare for. And that was when I realised I didn’t know my son well enough to recognise how to overcome such an issue.
And Phoenix was still young enough to primarily want his mum.
