Chapter 1
one
AVA
Two Weeks Later
I knock on the open door in front of me, nervous about this conversation with my boss. Things have been off for the last two weeks. They’ve been bringing on additional staff to help with coverage on some of my cases and removing me from others.
I have a good idea of what’s about to happen, and if I’m being honest with myself, I don’t think I’m that upset about it.
My boss glances up and waves me into the office as soon as he sees me. “Ava, come on in. Thanks for staying late to meet with me. I know it’s not news to you that when a judge calls you in you go without question.”
“It’s no problem.” I sit in the chair Mr. Henry gestures to as I walk into his office.
I know small talk is the appropriate response, but I don’t have it in me to pretend I’m not about to be fired. Brian Wellsley is the son of one of the partners at this firm and is set to become a partner within the next six months.
When I rejected him and then told my parents about what he tried to do as a result of that rejection, I have no doubt he ran to his parents. Add to the fact that his parents have a contract with mine to ensure we would marry—which I refused—and it’s no surprise I’m about to get fired. But I'll be damned if I let my parents force me into "fulfilling my purpose" by marrying that man.
Mr. Henry sits behind his desk, studying me for a few minutes before finally speaking. “You’ve always been a smart woman. I don’t think it will shock you why I asked for this meeting.”
“No, Mr. Henry. I feel confident I know what this is about.”
“I wish we lived in a different world. The fact you’re about to be punished for rejecting a man is…” Mr. Henry sighs, clearly at a loss for words, but I don’t step in to help him. I understand where he’s trying to take this conversation, but at the end of the day, he’s not wrong. If anyone should be fired in this situation, it should be Brian.
When he doesn’t continue, I break the silence. “Just say it, Mr. Henry.” I may understand what he’s trying to say, but I won’t help him. He’s part of the problem.
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to let you go. Immediately.” He pauses again, taking a breath before continuing. “You’ve been a valuable member of the team for the last five years. I am sorry to see you go.” I see him swallow as if preparing to lay another blow. “Unfortunately, this will be a for-cause termination, meaning there’s no severance package, and you’ll need to leave the premises as soon as we’re done here. Someone from HR will pack your personal belongings, and you can either pick them up or we can mail them to you.”
“I don’t have any personal items at my desk, just my purse, which I can’t leave without.” I may have been here for five years, but putting a personal touch on my space never felt right. Maybe that should have been a sign I wasn’t meant to be here long before now.
“Of course. I’ll escort you out as soon as we’re done.” He pauses again, studying me.
I don’t know what he expects, but I’ve never been an overly emotional person. My parents never would have accepted that. It was instilled in me from an early age that you do not express any intense emotions in the presence of others.
“Do you have any questions for me?” His voice is quiet, a little hesitant, as if he’s waiting for me to argue with him about my termination.
Even with Massachusetts being an employee-at-will state, it’s clear I’m being fired due to everything that happened with Brian. Without a single negative mark on my employment record at this firm, it would be quite easy to prove wrongful termination in this case. But I don’t have it in me to fight.
I don’t want to work at this firm—in this building—knowing that Brian will always be around the corner. Even if I prove wrongful termination and keep my job, Brian will never be fired—not with his father being one of the founding partners.
I didn’t report what happened to anyone. The only people I told were my parents and I don’t think they would corroborate my story, not when they want me to marry the man.
And recently I’ve realized—I hate my job.
Part of it could be working for this particular firm. Henry, Wellsley, & Ford is a prestigious firm that only takes on the wealthiest of clients and only takes on cases they know they can win. I’d been content going into law because I thought I would be helping people. But most of the time, I don’t feel like I’m doing anything worthwhile here. I don’t want to spend my life working in this kind of environment. It’s not who I am.
I see the shock in his eyes when I finally respond. “No, Mr. Henry, I don’t have any questions.”
“All right. Then I just need you to sign this stating you understand everything we’ve discussed.” Mr. Henry pushes a document toward me.
I don’t pick up the document. He might be telling me the truth, but I also suspect there is some fine print saying I forgo the right to sue them for wrongful termination. While I have no plans to move forward with that, I won’t take that chance away from myself, should I need it. “I won’t be signing anything.”
“Ms. Day?—”
“No, Mr. Henry. You can’t force me to sign that, and I won’t be doing it.” I give him a moment to see if he’ll say anything, and when he doesn’t, I continue. “If there’s nothing else, I’d like to go.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll take you to get your bag from your desk.”
I may have known what was coming, and I may have realized I hate my job, but I’ve still spent the last twenty-four hours wallowing in self-pity.
I’ve never been fired from a job. And while I logically know this has absolutely nothing to do with me and everything to do with Brian, I hate that I was fired.
I know I’m going to be okay. Fortunately, I didn’t pay for my education, so I don’t have loans to worry about, and I’ve always been smart with my money, so I have plenty saved up. I’m not in danger of losing my home or anything, but I hate the idea of starting again somewhere else. If I even want to continue practicing law.
Going into law isn’t something I wanted. It was something my parents pushed me into—like they tried to do with Declan and a business degree. Though, he convinced them his dreams would still bring the prestige they expected from someone with our last name.
I'll never understand how my parents came to think our last name was synonymous with clout, power, and prestige to everyone in our small town. My grandparents were some of the most loving and down-to-earth people I’ve ever known. The love they had for their family was endless, always wanting us to be happy—no matter how we went about accomplishing that.
They hated all the attention they received whenever they were in town helping out—as if they were more important by simply being part of one of the founding families. They never wanted to be viewed as better or more important than anyone else in town. They understood that what made small town living unique was how everyone came together to make it a special place. Not one person or family was more important than another.
I can remember overhearing the arguments my father would have with them when I was in high school. They didn’t like how he constantly pushed Declan and me into certain activities. They fought tooth and nail to make sure my parents let Declan have his art, and they were so proud of him when he sold his first piece.
Unfortunately, they died a year later, and my parents had no one to curb their behaviors when it came to pushing me into whatever box they were trying to make me fit into. For Declan, he had already proven he could make a name for himself with his art. But when it came to me? I was fifteen, impressionable, and, like most teens my age, just learning about all the opportunities available to someone like me—I had no idea what I wanted to do.
By that point, I’d joined the debate team—at my parents’ insistence—and while I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it either. And I was good at it. Seeing my potential, law became the thing my parents steered me toward. It likely helped that their close friend, Paul Wellsley, was a founding partner at one of Boston's most prestigious law firms. And knowing what I know now, my becoming a lawyer and working at that firm would have made it very easy to convince the world Brian and I had fallen madly in love while working together.
Well, that plan is officially thrown out the window, no matter how much my parents say otherwise. Hell will have to freeze over ten times before I agree to marry that man. Even then, I’d run away and change my whole identity before doing that.
I know I’m going to have to get my ass in gear and figure out what I’m going to do now, but I’m giving myself the weekend to wallow. I’m camping out on this couch, comfy in my robe and blanket cocoon, eating all the ice cream and junk food I want while watching Veronica Mars .
All while ignoring my constantly ringing phone.
I know I could just turn it off, but something in me won’t let me. Maybe it’s me hoping my parents will change. But more than likely, it’s the obedience my parents drilled into me peeking through—at least in part. I am disobeying them by simply refusing to answer their call. Growing up, if I refused to do anything they requested of me it resulted in the silent treatment, but to the extreme. It was truly like I didn’t exist if I disobeyed them. I learned quickly to suck it up and do what they wanted. It was always easier in the end.
It’s been about an hour since my phone last went off, and it’s officially after ten in the evening, so I think I’m safe for the rest of the night. That optimism quickly fades when my phone starts ringing just as I’ve hit play on the next episode. I contemplate completely ignoring it, but a glance down shows my brother’s face instead of one of my parents. It’s not strange for my brother to call, but ten o’clock on a Saturday evening is definitely out of the norm.
Pausing the show, I answer his call. “Big brother? What are you doing calling me this late on a Saturday? You know I’m hours away, and you’ll have to sit in that jail cell for quite some time if you made me your one phone call.”
“Hey, Ava.” Declan’s tone is far too serious for the joke I just made, and I instantly regret it.
“What’s going on?” I sit up on the couch, my back going taut. Declan has been through a lot over the last six years, but even with everything, he’s always been one to go along with my jokes. Something serious is going on for him to ignore everything I said.
“Scott just got served legal papers from Nicole. She’s suing for custody of Max.”
I stand from the couch, throwing the blankets off, and move to the laptop I left on the dining room table. There's no way I can sit here at home when I could be helping Scott and his family. My time for wallowing is over.
The Marks family quasi-adopted my brother when he moved to Ashford Falls five years ago. Obviously, he was a grown adult when he moved, but he met Caleb Marks, the oldest son, one night at a bar, became fast friends, and was dragged to family dinners shortly after. His father, Scott—one of the best men I’ve ever known—pulled Declan into the fold, never letting him go.
“When were the papers served?” I ask as I pull up flights to Baltimore, Maryland, the closest airport to Ashford Falls.
“Just a few minutes ago.”
“Okay, I’ll get on the next flight and we’ll figure out next steps when I get there.”
“Ava, I didn’t call so you would fly here. I just—I feel helpless, and I know you could give them some advice on what they should do.”
“I know, but this is literally my job. I’m not going to let Scott go through some horrible custody battle when I can do something to help.” Especially not when he needs to focus on himself and the rest of his family.
Scott was diagnosed with lung cancer five years ago, and three years ago he went into remission. Unfortunately, during his routine check-up in August, they found that the cancer was back, and this time it was likely he wouldn’t win the battle.
“That bitch doesn’t deserve a second of anyone’s time. She definitely doesn’t deserve custody of Max.”
After doing a number on Caleb and Quinn during their childhood, Scott’s ex-wife, Nicole, went and abandoned all of them when Max was still an infant. When I say that woman doesn’t deserve a moment of anyone’s time, I mean it with every fiber of my being.
I hear Declan sigh before he finally responds. “I love you, squirt. I really was just calling for some advice, but having you here will be so much better.”
“I’ll text you my flight information as soon as I have it. Tell Scott we’re going to figure this out.”
“I will. Be safe, and I’ll see you soon.”