38. Diana
THREE MONTHS LATER
“If I’m being honest, Diana, this might be a blessing in disguise,” Edgar tells me, sliding a piece of paper to me over his desk. At the top, the document reads “Voluntary Relinquishment of Parental Rights.”
“A blessing in disguise?” I scoff. “How? The father of my children has filed a legal document saying he’s washing his hands of his two girls. Permanently. How is any of this okay?”
“Well,” he purses his lips. “He did pay what he owed in back child support—though no alimony payments. Still, it’s one less thing you need to worry about now.
One less thing to chase. We can stop contacting his lawyer demanding he pay—which also means fewer legal bills for you, even if we do give you a discount here as an employee. ”
“I guess.”
He sighs before he continues, a bit of pity in his eyes.
I hate it. “Rodrigo has made it clear he wants nothing to do with the girls—” I wince—“and while that’s horrible, it is better this way, if you ask me.
They can finally start getting used to not having him around instead of hoping he’ll show up for them for once. ”
I take a deep steadying breath. “Will there be a court hearing?”
“No, the judge didn’t ask for one, and I don’t believe you’d like to request one either, would you?”
I shake my head. Maybe Edgar is right. Maybe it’s best if this is just… done.
“Didn’t think so. I… also have to mention, he expedited this.”
“What does that mean?”
“Just that he wanted to get this done as quickly as possible. My guess is to keep the amount of child support he had to pay you to a minimum.”
“That asshole,” I whisper.
Edgar’s eyes widen in shock, never having heard me curse before.
“Sorry.” I blush.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s well-deserved.” He sighs and leans back in his chair. “How do you feel?”
“Upset, obviously.” My voice breaks, the tears streaming down my cheeks.
Normally, I wouldn’t dream of ever crying in front of a boss, but Edgar was my lawyer through my entire divorce.
He’s seen me at my worst. “Saying he wasn’t the best father is the understatement of the century, but still…
I don’t even know how I’m going to explain this to the girls. I’m… all alone now. We’re alone.”
“You know that isn’t really true. You still have your extended family. That’s something to be very happy about. And, more importantly, you’re free now, Diana.”
I look up into his eyes, a bit shocked. “Am I?”
“You can do whatever you want now. You’ll never have to ask him for anything ever again.
That’s the bright side here. Do you know how many family law cases I’ve seen where former spouses use their children as weapons post-divorce?
It’s horrible, the way these children are manipulated or used as tools to purposefully make the other spouse’s life difficult.
You won’t have that anymore. You and your girls can go, and live a stress- and Rodrigo-free life. ”
“I’m scared,” I confess. “I understand what you mean that it’s an odd sort of silver lining, but at the same time, I could’ve used that money. Or at least some kind of parental support, you know? Help once a week.”
“Respectfully, you weren’t getting any kind of support before this filing. So it’s not like this made any difference, did it?”
I nod, attempting to swallow the ball in my throat.
“And, anyway… You’ve officially completed your six month probationary period here at the firm. Which means…”
He slides another sheet of paper, folded this time. When I open it, the top of the document reads “Porter, Jameson, & Webb Updated Compensation Package.”
I inhale sharply. “A raise?”
He nods. “And an increase in responsibility, too. You’re still a paralegal, of course. But some clients have taken a special liking to you, so we’ve decided to permanently assign you to some of those cases, which means you qualify for bonuses.”
“Whoa,” I breathe, reviewing the updated package.
“I hope this comes as a good early Christmas present,” he says with a smile.
I sniff. “Yes, thank you. A fantastic one, actually. Definitely softened the blow of it all. I’m excited to have dedicated clients.”
“Which leads me to my next point… You remember Jonathan Bloom, right?”
Manhattan looks like an entirely different city than the one I first visited in the summer.
The streets are even more crowded than before, but the hot garbage smells have been replaced by the scent of literal roasted chestnuts, bright office building lights are now accompanied by endless string lights adorning every corner, and the sound of traffic comes with a side of holiday music blasting from stores, restaurants, and coffee shops.
Before, I thought movies that showed New York over the holidays were representing a gross exaggeration of its reality—now I know that I’ve been wrong this whole time.
The city is beautiful and something out of a storybook.
Even Jonathan Bloom’s building lobby has undergone a transformation.
Previously cold, decorated only in a scheme of black and white marble, it feels almost welcoming with its updated holiday decorations.
Every inch of the place seems to be covered in a combination of pine, bows, twinkle lights, and gold and red accents.
I swear they even put the scent of pine in the air vents.
I was scared of coming back to New York, of accidentally running into Michael somewhere in the city, as unlikely as that sounds.
I was scared of what it would do to me, because after months of no contact, after months of separation, there isn’t a single part of me that feels any different. I’m still in love with him.
At the end of the day, though, I’m glad I’m here.
This trip would not have been possible if Emi wasn’t in a place where I could leave her with my parents.
So the fact that I felt okay enough to let her and Cami stay with them while I’m away speaks volumes to how things have been going with her diabetes.
I still obsessively check her CGM app to see how her glucose levels are—more so now that I’m in New York—but we’ve had fewer scares over the past few months. A huge relief for our entire family.
“You ready for this?” Edgar asks beside me.
I smile up at him. “I mean, you only gave me a couple of days to prepare for this business trip, but you know I’m ready.”
He pats me once on the back. “Never doubted you for a second.”
Seeing Jonathan again after so long is… odd. He greets me as kind and friendly as ever, with open arms, bringing me in for an unexpected hug. So sweet, in fact, it makes me wonder whether he doesn’t know Michael and I aren’t together anymore.
“Diana,” he says with a smile. “It’s so good to see you again.”
A little dumbstruck, I let him lead us into his conference room. The warm greeting doesn’t go unnoticed by my boss or Jonathan’s legal team, but they all know better than to bring it up right now.
Jonathan asks us how our flight was, kicking off the usual slew of small talk that precedes every single meeting. Eventually though, we set pleasantries aside and thankfully get down to business.
“The contracts and negotiations have been finalized,” Edgar notifies our client, passing the final documents to the client team.
“Finally,” Jonathan heaves a sigh. “Not gonna lie, I was getting real tired of this back and forth. Who knew buying a small company in Denver was going to be so time-consuming?”
The team chuckles before reviewing every line of the contract together. When Jonathan and his team are fully satisfied, he smiles and thanks us for a job well done.
Knowing that I was a part of something big fills me with a sense of accomplishment I haven’t felt in a long time, and it never would’ve happened if Rodrigo hadn’t left me.
So maybe Edgar was right in that his exit from my life has brought me incredible blessings.
This job. A newfound strength I never knew I had in me. And Michael—even though I lost him.
This time, I do go out for drinks with the team in celebration of the conclusion of our business.
Jonathan sits next to me at dinner, and it’s nice.
It feels like having an old friend, despite us not having known each other for very long.
It doesn’t take an expert to know that the ease I feel is one by association, because he’s friends with Michael.
And I want to ask him so much about the man I love, but I manage to keep quiet.
To stick to business or trivial conversation. That is, until he broaches the topic…
“You know you can ask, right?” he says in a low voice, so only I can hear.
I play dumb. “Ask what?”
“Ask how he’s doing. How she’s doing. Both of them.”
I attempt to swallow the sudden knot in my throat but struggle. “How are they?”
Jonathan smiles, those gorgeous blue eyes showing me kindness I feel I don’t deserve. “Rachel’s okay. I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago, and he mentioned she was doing some sort of winter play.”
I nod, my heart twisting in my chest. “And Michael?”
His smile drops, brows pulled together in sadness. “He’s… He’s hanging in there. The restaurant is doing well. Getting rave reviews.”
“Yeah, I’ve been keeping up.” I set up a Google alert for it, actually.
“Of course you have,” he says with a smile. “But it’s been rough on him, you being gone. He doesn’t say much because he knows you and I have been working together, but I’ve known him for a while. He still misses you.”
“I miss him,” I whisper. “A lot.”
“So why aren’t you together, again? I know long-distance can be tough, but—”
“It wasn’t just that.” I shake my head. “I mean, it was. But it was more so that there would’ve been no end to it unless he dropped everything and came to me. And he just opened H&H.”
“What about you? I know the girls are in school and everything, but… the way you two looked at each other was something else. You wouldn’t move for him?”
“It’s complicated. My ex—he threatened me. Told me he wouldn’t give me permission to move the girls out of state. Which is so stupid, because he just—” I cut myself off with a gasp. “Holy shit.” I push from my chair in shock, pulling the attention of everyone from our table to me.
“Diana? Are you okay?” Edgar asks.
I flush, a bit embarrassed by my outburst, but the gravity of my realization keeps me from caring about it for too long.
“He gave up his parental rights, Edgar. He gave them up.” I stare wide-eyed at my boss and realize exactly what he was trying to tell me when he said I was free. “I can do whatever I want.”
Edgar smiles across the table at me. “I told you.”
“What’s going on?” Jonathan asks.
“I—oh my god, I’m so sorry for the dramatics, but I have to go.” I start to leave, before rushing back to the table, addressing my boss. “Do you mind if I take a couple of days off?”
He laughs. “Go do what you need to do.”
I could hug him right now. So I do. “Thank you so much.”
And without another thought, I grab my coat and take a cab all the way to Penn Station. I have a train to catch.