26. Abigail
ABIGAIL
Court is tomorrow, and I feel sick. Dizzy from not eating, though even the idea of food turns my stomach. No matter how often I remind myself that I’m capable, that I’ve held my own against Will before, I can’t shake the fear that this is going to fall apart.
He came over last night. I tried so hard to act normal. He was calm, easy, like nothing was wrong, while I was barely holding it together. He knows I haven’t been eating, no matter how often I claim I had a huge lunch.
After dinner, he casually mentioned needing a milkshake. Said it like a craving. I’ve never actually seen him drink one before. But he came back with two. His quiet way of making sure I got some calories in. It worked.
This whole situation is a mess.
We don’t have plans for tonight, but I’m sure we’ll see each other like always. I’ll keep pretending I’m fine. But tomorrow night, after court, what then?
My phone rings. I answer too quickly, grateful for the distraction.
“Abigail, it’s Donovan.”
So much for that relief.
“Did you want to go over your testimony again?” I ask, forcing a smile into my voice.
“I can’t do it,” he says.
It takes a moment for the words to sink in.
“I was wondering if we could see if they’ll take 2.7?”
“That’s significantly lower than what we aimed for.”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t face it.”
My chest loosens, just slightly. It feels like a lifeline. If Pinnacle accepts the number, this ends here. But I can’t let myself hope. Not yet.
“If you’re sure, I’ll see what I can do.”
We hang up. My heart is pounding. It would be easy to run with this, to wrap things up and breathe again. But I’m not the one who has to live with the outcome. If this is the number Donovan can live with, then I’ll stand by it.
Now it’s out of my hands, and into Pinnacles.
I call Will’s office. Normally, Martha says he’ll call me back. Today, she transfers me straight through.
My nerves spike. I hope he doesn’t think I talked Donovan into settling because I’m scared. I am scared, but I would never do that.
“Miss Reed,” he says.
I steady my breath. “Would your client accept 2.7?”
There’s a pause. Long enough for me to wonder if the call dropped.
“I’ll get back to you,” he says at last.
The line goes dead, but my thoughts don’t stop. I sit still, watching the screen like the call might resume on its own. It could take minutes. Or hours. I don’t move.
When the ring finally cuts through the quiet, I let it ring a few times before picking up.
“Mr. Carter’s on the line,” Anthea says. I close my eyes and draw a breath.
“Mr. Carter,” I say, answering.
“Pinnacle has accepted 2.7.”
I cover my mouth. My eyes blur. I should be disappointed. Donovan could have gotten more, but it was his decision, not mine. All I feel is the pressure lifting off my chest. “Baby?” Will’s voice softens. I hadn’t realized I’d gone silent. “Dinner tonight?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
“I can finally tell everyone you’re mine.”
That’s what he’s thinking about right now?
“Maybe we wait a couple of weeks,” I say. “I don’t want people speculating.”
“Alright,” he says easily.
There’s a pause. I wonder if he feels it too. This strange, quiet calm. Then I hear someone speaking to him in the background, and we say goodbye.
First stop: Judy’s office. She’s on the phone when I walk in, but the moment I mouth “We settled,” her eyes go wide. She claps a hand over her mouth to stifle a squeal and does a little dance in her chair. Today she’s wearing mustard yellow.
“I’ll call you back,” she says quickly, then hangs up. We exchange knowing smiles, a quiet celebration passing between us as I fill her in on what happened.
“Donovan seemed so confident the last few times he was here,” she says, frowning slightly. She’s right. It is a little strange—but maybe, like me, he was just putting on a brave face. “Still, I think he dodged a bullet. And hey, you’ve just proven to Neil you can handle the bigger cases.”
I shrug, the weight of the last few weeks finally settling in.
“I’m not sure I want cases like this,” I admit, more to myself than to her.
It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud.
For so long, I thought ambition was the answer.
That climbing the ladder would finally make me feel fulfilled.
But this case exposed something deeper. Now, with Will in my life, the truth is clearer.
Some people thrive on independence and career success alone.
I admire them. But what I really wanted was someone in my corner.
Someone who cares when I haven’t eaten or when I wake up gasping at three a.m. I’ve spent so long being strong, I forgot how exhausting it is to carry everything on my own.
Judy’s quiet for a beat. Then, softly: “The big stuff’s not for me either.”
I smile. There’s comfort in the shared truth between us.
“How’s the foundation going?” I ask, gently shifting the focus.
She hesitates, then bites her lip. “I don’t think people are resonating with it.”
“Maybe you just haven’t found the right audience yet,” I offer.
She gives a half-smile and shrugs, but the disappointment is still there. I wish I could do more.
“I’ll start coming to the mixers again,” I say. “We can work the room together.”
That gets a real smile from her.
“What did Neil say?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Haven’t told him yet.”
“Yikes.”
Yeah. Yikes.
“I better get it over with.”
The hallway feels too long, the silence heavy with expectation as I walk toward Neil’s office. I don’t know what I’m about to walk into. Maybe he’ll be relieved. Maybe he’ll be furious.
I pause at the door, take a breath, then knock gently and step inside.
Neil looks up. His brow is drawn tight, like he’s been waiting for this. He gestures for me to come in but doesn’t say a word.
I stop just past the threshold. “I settled the Pinnacle case.”
Something flickers in his expression. Relief, maybe. I press on.
“Two-point-seven million. Mr. Jones got cold feet. That was his number.”
He just stares, unreadable.
Finally, he leans back in his chair, arms folded, and exhales slowly.
“Very low,” he says. “You don’t think that’s strange?”
“They were holding firm at two-five. He probably figured he was lucky to get out of it with anything.”
Neil studies me a moment longer, then finally leans back further and nods once.
“Well, if the client’s happy,” he says.
I nod, relief trickling in.
It seems today is my lucky day.