Chapter 14 #3
Later, after June's reheated the hot chocolate and Emma's gone back to coloring, we stand side by side at the sink washing up mugs and bowls from dessert.
Soap and hot water. The rhythm of her beside me—handing me things to rinse, our elbows bumping.
I want to freeze this moment.
I squeeze her hand under the running water. "Whatever happens in three weeks, we face it together."
She squeezes back, steady despite the tremor in her fingers. "Together."
"And when it's over—" My voice catches, rough with hope and want.
"When it's over, we start our real life." She turns to face me fully. "No more waiting. No more fear."
I meet her eyes—steady, unflinching, brave. "I'm holding you to that."
Her smile is small but formidable. A promise. "Please do."
For a heartbeat, standing in her kitchen with my daughter drawing in the next room and this amazing woman beside me, I let myself believe it.
Our future. Real and solid and just within reach.
***
The following evening June's at my house, curled up on the far end of the couch, feet tucked under her, laptop open.
We're together most nights now when I'm not on shift—finding comfort in shared silence, the easy rhythm of side-by-side living.
Emma's drawings clutter the coffee table, leftover soup cooling on the stove.
Outside, snow flurries ride the last blue light of dusk.
My phone rings.
Michael Drummond's name flashes on the screen.
My stomach drops.
"Emma, sweetheart? Can you go play in your room for a bit?" I wait until she's gone, door closed, before answering. "Michael."
"We have a problem," he says without preamble. Voice grim.
I sit up straight, pulse thudding in my ears. "What kind of problem?"
"Tyler Owen submitted a sworn statement to Sarah's lawyer today. And he's agreed to testify at the hearing."
The blood drains from my face.
Tyler. June's ex.
I look over at her. She's watching me now, laptop forgotten, apprehension sharp in her eyes.
"His statement says that June has severe commitment issues, a documented pattern of failed relationships, is emotionally unavailable, and is using you for financial stability and business connections."
"That's bullshit." My voice comes out clipped, harder than I mean it to. "Complete bullshit."
"I know," Michael says. "But it carries legal weight. And it's damaging. We'll need to counter it aggressively. The judge will hear it."
I end the call with shaking hands.
I can't look at June for a long moment. Can't trust my voice not to break.
"Adam?" Her voice is small, terrified. "What happened?"
I force myself to meet her eyes. "Tyler gave a sworn statement and he’s going to testify at the hearing. He's helping Sarah."
The color drains from her face. "What?"
"He said you have commitment issues. That you're using me—for stability, for business connections. That you're emotionally unavailable and our relationship is a manipulation." The words come out like broken glass.
June's face crumples. Tears gather in her eyes, shock and betrayal written across every feature. "That's—that's not—"
"I know." I move closer, grip her hands. "I know it's lies. All of it."
"But a judge will hear it." Her voice breaks. "Under oath. Tyler's word against..."
"Against the truth," I say. "Against what everyone who actually knows you can see."
She shakes her head, tears spilling. "How could he do this?"
"Sarah must have got to him somehow. Paid him, maybe." My jaw clenches so hard it aches. "She's desperate."
"This is bad, isn't it?" June's voice is barely a whisper. "This could actually hurt us."
I want to lie. Want to tell her it'll be fine, that Michael will handle it, that Tyler testifying won't matter.
But I can't.
"It complicates things," I admit. "But we fight it. We prove he's a bitter ex with an axe to grind."
"What if it's not enough?" She's trembling now, full-body shaking. "What if the judge believes him? What if Sarah uses this to take Emma away?"
"She won't." I pull her close, wrapping my arms around her even as fear claws at my throat. "We won't let her."
But the words feel hollow.
Because the truth is, I don't know.
Tyler's testimony, under oath, from someone who dated June—it will carry weight. It plants doubt. It gives Sarah exactly what she needs—reasonable questions about June's character, her motives, her stability.
June pulls back, wiping her eyes, jaw setting with something fierce and defiant. "We get more voices. More proof of who I really am. Emma's teachers. Your crew. The regulars at the bakery. Everyone."
"Yes." I cup her face. "We bury his lies under an avalanche of truth."
"Harper will testify. She'll destroy him."
Despite everything, I almost smile. "Yeah. She will."
June takes a shaky breath. "I'm not letting Tyler—or Sarah—steal our family. Not when we've fought this hard."
"No," I agree. "We're not."
But as I hold her, staring out at the darkening snow, dread pools low in my stomach.
Sarah has her weapon now. And it's a good one.
The betrayal is complete. The fight for Emma just got exponentially harder.
Three weeks suddenly feels like no time at all.