Page 76 of Fourth Wall

He brought his mouth so close to mine that I could feel him take a few breaths before our eyes locked. The way I felt about him was indescribable. It was something wild, raw, and beautiful, like watching a flower blossom in a garden. It was new and exciting, but also felt stable and secure now.

“Maeve.” His voice was barely above a whisper, and I recognized the hesitation.

“Yeah?” I thought he would say what I had felt in my heart for a long time, probably much longer than this whole fake dating thing became real.

“I-I…” He hesitated, and I encouraged him by grabbing his hands and interlacing his fingers with mine.

“Say it,” I encouraged.

“I love you,” he murmured quickly and quietly. I pressed my lips onto his.

“Finally.” I finally breathed as I pulled away from him. “I have loved you for a while now.” He grabbed my waist and pulled me in, resting his head in the crook of my neck. We stayed there, embraced in each other’s arms for some time, savoring the moment.

It was a moment I would never forget, because I knew from this point forward, that nothing about this was fake. I genuinely and truly loved everything about this man.

36

Maeve

Over the next month, our lives fell into a beautiful rhythm, repeating the same routine week after week. When we had the girls with us, the evenings were filled with warmth and togetherness as we prepared dinner after Christian picked them up from school. But during the weeks the girls went to theirfather's house, our passion soared, and we became inseparable, indulging in each other's touch and exploring every inch of our bodies together.

Within this harmonious routine, a sense of bliss and tranquility enveloped us. It felt as if the universe had aligned, bringing us together for a purpose. We found comfort in our little world, savoring the connection we had forged.

Yet despite the joy we shared, a flicker of uncertainty remained, a distant reminder of the impending court date. It was still a while away, but its presence weighed heavily on my mind, occasionally casting shadows on our otherwise radiant moments. Still, we chose to focus on the present, cherishing each other and embracing the love we had found, hoping that destiny would favor me when the time came to face the courtroom.

It was my week with the girls, and I had just tucked them into bed. Christian had been working late at Julian’s on a project, but said he couldn’t tell me what it was about yet.

I understood that a lot of his work was top secret and never pressed him to tell me anything, but when he worked late, it was hard to stay up waiting for him. Between work, the girls, and adjusting to this life, I had been exhausted.

When the doorbell rang, I practically skipped over to open it.

“Did you forget your key?” I said in a sing-songy voice as I whipped the door opening, not checking the peephole.

My face fell when I saw that it was my lawyer who I had hired for my court case.

“What's wrong?” I asked. Nausea roiled in my stomach. A home visit instead of a phone call was never a good thing.

“Can I come in?”

I nodded slowly and offered him a seat at the kitchen table.

“Sorry, it is a little messy,” I admitted, picking up a few toys scattered in the living room. I had gotten better, but mostlybecause Christian did a lot of picking up and buying boxes and bins for things to go.

“Please sit, Maeve.” From the way his eyes looked, I knew it was serious, so I hobbled over to where the lawyer sat.

“What is it?” I folded my hands into each other, feeling the sweat dripping off them. Should I have called Christian to be here for this? I could really use him, but I knew I needed to shoulder this problem because it was mine.

“He moved up the court date to the end of the week. New evidence has been submitted, and now they called it urgent.”

“What?! What could there possibly be? I have done everything he wanted. We have even had really good and decent civil conversations during drop-off and pickup.”

“He says there is evidence including photos taken of your live-in boyfriend holding a gun up to someone's head at a mechanic shop. He is claiming it is unsafe to be in a house with a man who is unsafe and involved in dangerous criminal activities.” The lawyer’s face dropped as he gave me this news, and I wanted to crumple and cry.

“How did he get this information?” I practically wailed.

“I have no idea.”

“How bad is it?” I asked.

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