The Hotel Room: His Broken Vows

Chapter Fourteen - James

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

James

James sat at the desk in his home office, the papers spread neatly in front of him. The house deed, the transfer form, the notary signature line. He’d read through it three times already, his lawyer’s instructions clear in the email.

It was straightforward. A clean transfer of ownership.

The house would be Kate’s.

Entirely.

His name removed.

His thumb hovered over the pen, heart pounding too hard for something so simple.

But it wasn’t simple, was it?

Because this house wasn’t just a building. It wasn’t just wood and brick and property taxes.

It was them .

The life they’d built here.

The walls where they’d marked Noah and Lily’s heights with pencil lines in the laundry room. The creaky step on the staircase he kept meaning to fix but never did. The kitchen where Kate had cooked their family dinners, where he’d kissed her neck while she stirred pasta on nights when things still felt right .

And now—he was letting it go.

Letting her go.

No, that wasn’t it.

This wasn’t about giving up.

This was about doing something —anything—to prove that he wasn’t just full of empty words.

That he saw her.

Respected her.

That he wasn’t holding their history over her head like a debt she could never repay.

James exhaled slowly, pressing the pen to the paper.

James Alexander Hayes

The letters felt heavy as he signed, ink bleeding a little too dark into the page. He pressed harder than necessary, like the force could make the action more real.

When he was done, he sat back, staring at his name. His signature. The finality of it.

The house was hers now.

It was a statement—not just a legal transfer, but a promise: I won’t control you. I won’t hold this over you. You deserve your independence.

And yet, as he folded the papers into the envelope, his chest ached with the hollow knowledge that even this—this huge gesture—might never be enough to undo the damage he’d caused.

He hadn’t just broken her trust.

He’d made her question her entire foundation .

And a few signatures on a deed couldn’t fix that.

But it was a start.

James sealed the envelope with a sharp press of his fingers, his pulse still loud in his ears.

He would give her the papers tonight. No explanations. No expectations.

Just proof that he was trying.

And hoping—desperately—that it wasn’t too late.

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The glass walls of James's office felt more transparent than usual. The open-concept design, once so sleek and modern, now felt like a fishbowl—too exposed, too vulnerable.

Leah sat across from him in one of the black leather chairs, arms crossed, eyes narrowed in that laser-focused way that always made James feel like a kid caught in a lie. She hadn’t even bothered with pleasantries when she arrived, just stormed in with the same hostility she’d had towards him ever since Kate left him.

Ever since he’d made the worst mistake of his life. Ever since he’d destroyed the woman he loved.

He deserved her hostility. He deserved her contempt.

“James, I need to talk. And you need to listen.”

James exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew what she saw when she looked at him. A weak, pathetic man who wasn’t good enough for her younger sister. “Leah—”

“What the hell are you doing, James?” She cut him off, eyes burning. “When I told Kate to go back home, I meant she should move back into her house and kick you out. Instead she’s living like a guest in her own life while you hold all the cards.”

His chest tightened. “That’s not what’s happening.”

Leah scoffed, voice dripping with disbelief. “It’s exactly what’s happening. You’re using money to control her, and you don’t even see it. You’re punishing her for standing up for herself, and it’s pathetic.”

James bristled, jaw clenching as heat surged beneath his collar. “That’s not fair. I’m supporting my family. I’ve always supported my family.”

She shook her head, disbelief flashing in her expression. “You think writing the checks makes you the hero? Kate has been raising your kids, holding your entire home together for years . She built that life with you—while you were working late, climbing the corporate ladder. Don’t you dare act like you’re the only one who sacrificed.”

James opened his mouth to argue, but the words stuck—because she wasn’t wrong.

But she was wrong about one thing.

“I’m not controlling her,” he bit out, voice tight. “You don’t know everything.”

Leah raised an eyebrow, arms still folded. “Really? Because from where I’m standing, you’re using money as leverage. You think she can’t leave because she has no financial independence. You like that, don’t you? Knowing she needs you.”

His pulse kicked harder, defensive words rising—but this time, he forced them down.

“No,” he said, voice quieter now but still firm. “I don’t want to control her, Leah. I—” He hesitated, but there was no way around it now. “I put the house in her name. Completely. It’s hers now. No strings.”

The words hung there, and for the first time since she’d stormed in, Leah blinked.

“What?”

James exhaled, the tightness in his chest easing just slightly.

“I signed the deed over. She owns it outright. I didn’t tell her to stay. I didn’t use it as a bargaining chip. She doesn’t owe me anything.”

Silence stretched between them, the anger on Leah’s face softening into something more cautious.

Her arms slowly lowered.

“And why...why did you do that?”

James swallowed, glancing away for a beat before forcing himself to meet her gaze.

“Because it was never my house. It was ours. And whether she forgives me or not, she deserves security. I wanted her to know I wasn’t going to hold that over her head. I...I needed to show her that.”

Leah studied him for a long moment, like she was trying to gauge if this was just another performance.

Finally, her posture eased—but the tension didn’t fully leave her face.

“Okay,” she said slowly, voice calmer but still laced with skepticism. “That’s...a step. But signing a house over doesn’t erase the fact that you broke her trust.”

James’s throat tightened, his hands pressing into the desk as he nodded stiffly. “I know.”

Leah’s voice softened—but it stayed steady.

“If you ever want to fix this, it’s not just about the house or money, James. It’s about giving her the space to find herself again—without you deciding what that looks like.”

He nodded slowly, the words sinking deeper than he wanted to admit.

Leah lingered a beat longer, as if deciding whether to say more.

Then she shook her head, turning toward the door.

“I’m watching you, James. Don’t screw this up.”