Thirty-Two | Ethan
Two Months Later
Even though I was a lawyer, I hated being in the courtroom. My foot tapped on the tile floor beneath me as I sat waiting for the verdict in this bullshit sexual harassment case against me. I looked over my shoulder and felt calmer when I saw Eva sitting next to Regina, smiling at me.
The judge entered the courtroom, and everyone rose before being informed we could be seated. The chairs shuffled against the floors of the quiet room, the sound of time ticking by at an irritatingly slow pace. Finally, the judge cleared his throat and began. I tuned everything out until he got to the sentence that I had been needing to hear.
My ears perked up, and I swear a chorus of angels sang in the back row when he announced that the case was being dismissed due to lack of evidence. I closed my eyes and pulled in a deep breath, feeling relieved that something had finally started to go right.
As the room cleared out, I noticed that Kate was still sitting in the back of the room, tears staining her face. Cora had stormed out as soon as she was able to, and I just assumed that Kate had gone with her.
I stood up and straightened my tie before walking over to where Eva and Regina were standing, waiting for me. Garrett was off in the corner, talking with one of the lawyers from Hyde and Wilson. They had shown up to support our office after their lawsuit was dismissed, giving us high hopes for the same result.
“Congratulations,” Eva squealed, wrapping her arms around me before planting a gentle kiss on my lips.
“Thank you, baby. I’m glad that it was dismissed.”
“Me too,” Regina piped in, smiling from ear to ear.
I looked past her to see Kate approaching us, her head tucked in shame.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked quietly.
“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” I said sternly, placing my hand on Eva’s lower back to guide her away.
“Please—I know that I messed up, and I just want the opportunity to explain what happened,” Kate insisted.
“I think we’re long past that,” Eva muttered under her breath. Kate looked at her and lowered her eyes.
“I’m sorry for what I did. I really am,” she said shakily. “I didn’t mean for things to go this far. I never meant for you to get hurt.”
I put my hand up to stop her.
“This sounds like an admission of some sort. You really need to stop and consider whether or not you should be speaking about this without legal counsel,” I warned. Not that I owed her anything. I just didn’t have it in me to worry about another fucking scandalous lawsuit.
“I’m fully aware of that, but I need to say this,” Kate continued. “I didn’t know that things would escalate this far. If I would’ve known, I wouldn’t have gone through with it.” She pulled in a deep breath and looked between us.
“Cora and I have been dating for a few years. We decided last year that we wanted to have a baby. You can probably understand how complicated that is for two women unless you have the money to do it the right way. Well, after several failed rounds of IVF with me, we didn’t have the money to spend for Cora to try. She was working for another attorney, and he was insistent on helping. It was a terrible idea, but he offered his services, and she agreed. They’d had sex, and she hoped that she would get pregnant. While it wasn’t how we wanted to do it, in the end, we would have a baby. That was all that mattered at the time.”
She rubbed her hands down the front of her jeans and looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was listening.
“Well, after they had sex, Cora didn’t want to do it again. But he became obsessed. He would constantly try to touch her, and it got so uncomfortable that she filed a complaint. Human Resources moved her to another department and brushed it under the carpet without bothering to look into it. So, she quit and got a job with Roberts and Associates. After she started working with us, she overheard someone talking about a sexual harassment lawsuit where the woman won thousands of dollars because the attorney didn’t want his wife to find out. That’s when Cora decided to file the lawsuit against the other attorney.”
I could feel my blood pressure rise as I listened, knowing where this was going.
“But then something happened. Something changed,” Kate said and shook her head in shame. “Cora became so obsessed with the idea of a quick and easy payout that she went after you next. I didn’t know that she had sex with you until after it had happened. And if I’m being honest, it almost broke us. She apologized, and then we found out she was pregnant. I was so excited about that baby that I just figured it had been a rough patch we had to work through.
“We were having a baby, and that’s what we wanted. Then she filed the lawsuit against you, and I couldn’t believe it. I asked her to undo it, but she wouldn’t. She was adamant that if she could win the two cases, then we would have enough money never to have to worry about anything again. I told her that it was wrong, that she had already gotten what she wanted. That we were getting what we wanted. A baby.”
Tears started to fall down her face as she wiped them away with the back of her hand.
“Cora was getting frustrated because she wasn’t getting anywhere with the other lawsuit. Her lawyer was dragging his feet, which is what happens when you find the cheapest, shadiest lawyer out there. She convinced me to file a claim that you had sexually harassed me as well.” She lowered her eyes, unable to look at me. “I told her that I couldn’t do that because we were never around each other. But really, I just couldn’t do it to you.”
“But you did,” I bit out angrily.
“I know.” She nodded her head. “I felt like my life was crumbling beneath me. When I walked into Eva’s office to grab my reports from the printer, I saw the chat up on her computer. It was a terrible moment of weakness and complete and utter stupidity on my part, but I was desperate. I printed them and held them in my drawer until I could find the strength to get rid of them.”
“And again, you didn’t,” Eva said, narrowing her eyes at Kate.
“I am so, very sorry. I could apologize every day for the rest of my life, and it would never be enough. I understand that. And I’m sorry for everything that Cora has put you through. If it makes you feel any better, we’ve broken up. She’s now having a baby with an attorney who won’t leave her alone now that he knows she’s carrying his baby.”
“He got a paternity test?” I asked, needing confirmation that there was no way this child was mine.
I felt Eva’s hand squeeze mine. I knew that it was odd to have a paternity test done while the mother was still pregnant, but I didn’t care enough about this to inquire why they had decided to do it. Maybe there was another reason for doing the procedure, or maybe Cora was just pushed that far into a corner with the other lawsuit. Who the fuck knew at this point?
“Results were conclusive that he is the biological father,” Kate said as she reached out and handed me an envelope.
I took it from her and pulled out a copy of the paternity test.
“Again, I’m really sorry for everything that happened. I know that it doesn’t change anything, but at least now you know why I did it. I was young, stupid, and in love. But that doesn’t excuse me or my behavior.”
Kate lowered her head and walked away. It felt good to know the truth, but hell if it didn’t bother me how much was happening without me knowing.
“I’m gonna go and give you two a few minutes alone,” Regina said, gently touching my arm before walking over to where Garrett was.
Eva looked up at me and studied my face.
“So, how are you feeling now?” she asked.
“It’s been a lot to take in. But I’m glad things are all falling into place, and the shitty parts are over. Now, I can focus on being happy and eating burnt toast with my girlfriend,” I said with a smile.
“Girlfriend?” she asked, her voice going up an octave.
“If you’ll have me...” I said shyly, bending down to kiss her forehead.
“As long as you promise to make me toast and peanut butter smores,” she replied as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Deal.” I leaned in for a kiss, savoring this moment for as long as I could.
Thank you so much for reading Breaking All The Rules! I hope you enjoyed it!