Page 80 of Fourth Wall

37

Christian

Last night was restless, and I could feel the unease emanating from Maeve as I held her close to my chest. Something was off even though we had discussed a plan for this situation. It was unsettling, and sadness loomed in the air.

When morning came, we sent the girls off to school while Julian and Tatum were on their way to our house. Maeve sat at the kitchen counter, her head hanging low, lost in thought as she stared at her coffee.

"You sure you're okay?" I asked, concern evident in my voice.

"I'm not okay," she replied with red-rimmed eyes. "My ex-husband is threatening to take away my freaking children from me, and my plan of fake dating backfired." The frustration in her voice was understandable, and I didn't take her outburst personally. Instead, it fueled my determination to find a solution.

When the front door opened, Tatum rushed in, hugging Maeve tightly. Julian approached me, offering a hug that I accepted willingly. We all struggled with this situation, and the weight of it pressed down on us like an immense burden. Maeve blamed herself, but I blamed myself too. I had recklessly offered to be part of all this, knowing the risks and dangers associated with my job. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen this coming. I had become careless, failing to check my surroundings thoroughly.

After a moment, Julian broke the silence, and we filled him in on the details. None of us knew how to proceed from here, and uncertainty hung like a dark cloud.

"I think Christian is right, Maeve," Tatum spoke up, her voice gentle but determined. "You guys need to go over there before the court hearing. If Stephen is Tyler's husband, his presence might help."

Tatum's suggestion had a glimmer of hope, but the situation remained dire. “I’m also kinda mad at you for not telling her any of this pertinent information.”

“I fucked up,” I confessed.

“We all did.”

Maeve lifted her head, and for a brief second, her eyes met mine, and the very hint of warmth spread through me.

“Should we tell him we’re coming over?” she asked hesitantly.

“No,” Julian and I responded in unison.

“You want the element of surprise on your side. But if Stephen claims he is as close to Christian—”

“He is.” I butted in. I knew he was. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind. We both saved each other from very low places in our past and continued to support each other.

“Then I think you need to surprise them.”

“Okay.” Maeve nodded and hung her head back into her coffee again.

“We can go tonight when your mom comes? Tyler will be home from work.”

“And say what?” She was getting frustrated. “I just don’t get what the fuck we are supposed to do when we show up. We cannot threaten them.” She kicked her seat in and abruptly jumped up.

"We can't go in like damn gangsters because that's what got us in this fucking mess in the first place. So we go in and ask for forgiveness? I'm done and sick of apologizing to this man about the type of mother I am. I've sacrificed everything to give my children the best life possible. At this point, we have nothing to say to him. The only fucking thing the lawyer said that would make this better is the one thing I do not want to do."

Her anger was palpable, and her words stung deeply. Maeve didn't want to get married. She still saw this as a fake dating arrangement or whatever. Trying to understand her perspective, I took a few deep breaths before turning around and pretending to grab something from the fridge.

"What do you mean?" Tatum asked, seeking clarification.

I turned around slowly, locking eyes with Maeve as she glared at me. The tension in the room thickened with every passing moment. "He said we needed to get married," I replied carefully.

In an instant, Maeve grabbed her coffee cup, her emotions bubbling over. "Fuck." Screaming, she threw the mug down, and it shattered on the floor as coffee spilled everywhere. The room fell into silence as we all processed the outburst.

Without a word, Maeve turned and ran upstairs, leaving us stunned and unsure of how to respond. The weight of the situation hung heavily in the air, and I couldn't help but feel hurt and rejected by her reaction.

“I’m going to go check on her,” Tatum told us quietly. She followed Maeve upstairs, where I heard a door slam shut.

I braced myself on the countertop and let my hair hang low for a second before I looked up at Julian, who stared at me.

“She’s right. You cannot go in there acting like you are going to fuck him up.”

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