Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Julian
“What is going on here? Why the urgent meeting?” Judge McCray asked.
“Your Honor, I respectfully move to withdraw as counsel for the defendant.”
“On what grounds, Mr. Hamilton?”
“Since the beginning of this case, I’ve acted in good faith, believing I had all the relevant facts to build a proper defense. I have recently discovered that my client has been untruthful with me and has compromised my ability to ethically and effectively represent her moving forward.” I glanced at Liza to show the judge the video.
“Where did you get this?” he asked Liza.
“It was sent anonymously, Your Honor. We have no idea who took that video or where it came from.”
“Did you inform your client, Mr. Hamilton?”
“Yes, Your Honor, I did.”
“Did you try to get her to change her plea?”
“I did, and she refused. I cannot and will not stand before this court and argue a case built on lies. ”
“Motion to withdraw is granted. We’ll reconvene when the defendant has time to retain new representation.” He looked at Liza.
“Thank you, Your Honor.” I nodded.
“Ms. Evans, I can’t say I’ll be sad not seeing you argue this case,” he said.
“Don’t worry, Your Honor. You’ll be seeing me next week for another case.” She smiled.
After leaving the courthouse, we climbed into the back of the Escalade. Since we left her house this morning, Laurel had been acting out of sorts.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.
“Nothing. Why?”
“Because you’ve been weird since we left the house.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“You’re barely speaking to me, Laurel. Oh, by the way. My father and Love are hosting dinner tomorrow night and invited you and the girls. I’ll pick you up at six o’clock. Roman, Morgan, Maddie, and Parker will be there.”
“I don’t think?—”
“It’ll be fun.” I grabbed her hand and brought it to my lips.
She instantly pulled away. I furrowed my brows.
When we reached the firm, I went into my office, shut the door, and stood in front of the window with my hands tucked tightly into my pants pockets. I felt tightness in my chest and clenching in my stomach as I thought about Laurel. My fears were at the forefront of my mind—a voice of caution warning me of my past. When she referred to ‘us’ this morning, my heart began to beat rapidly—a constant reminder of the potential pain and heartbreak. I could hear my heart thumping in my chest like a pounding drum .
My office door opened and pulled me from my thoughts.
“Hey. How did it go with the judge?” Roman asked.
“He granted the motion to dismiss me from the case.” I sat behind my desk.
“Good. I’m sorry, Julian.”
“Don’t be. It is what it is.”
Laurel
Before picking up the girls, I arrived at the school early, parked the car, climbed out, and walked around, staring at the other side of the fence where the playground was, looking to see if a man was lurking around. Turning around, I noticed a camera facing the playground.
Walking into the school, I was immediately stopped by the security guard.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“I’m Laurel Evans, and I need to speak with the principal regarding an incident.”
“Sure. The office is right there.”
“Thank you.” I smiled.
I asked to see Principal Wiley and sat in the chair while waiting for him.
“Ms. Evans, come in.” His door opened. “What can I do for you?”
“Sophie told me she saw a man hanging around on the other side of the playground fence. He was staring at the children.”
“And when was this?” he asked.
“I believe the other day.”
“We do have teachers outside with the children, and no one has reported seeing a man around the playground, but I’ll check into it.”
“I saw you have cameras facing the playground. Would you mind if I took a look?”
“Unfortunately, Ms. Evans, I can’t allow that. But I will look at the footage and get back to you.”
This man was getting on my nerves.
“Okay. Thank you, Principal Wiley.” I stood and walked out of his office.
Heading to my car, I leaned against it and waited for the school bell to ring. Once the girls emerged from school, we all climbed into the car.
“How was school today?” I smiled.
“Good,” all three of them replied.
“I like you picking us up.” Stella smiled.
“Me too, baby. I do have to take you back to the firm with me for a bit.”
“Will Julian be there?” Sara asked.
“He should be.”
“We like him, Mom,” Sophie said.
“Yeah. And we won’t be mad if he spends the night again. We like having him around,” Sara spoke.
My heart ached.
“He won’t be spending the night again. He only did last night because it was too late for him to drive home.”
“But you slept in the same bed, which means he’s your lover.” Stella smiled.
Shit.
“Julian is not my lover. We’re friends. He only slept in my bed because—well, he has a bad back, and our couch would have aggravated it,” I lied through my teeth to my children. “But don’t ask him about his bad back. It’s a touchy subject with him. ”
We arrived at the office. When we stepped out of the elevator, I saw Julian walking down the hall.
“Julian!” All three girls exclaimed, running up to him.
“Hey, girls. What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know.” Stella shrugged. “My mom said we had to come here for a while.”
“I have some work to finish before heading home,” I said.
My phone rang. Pulling it from my purse, the words Unknown Number appeared. I quickly declined the call.