Page 39 of Atlas Uncharted

“Go ahead,” she muttered, irritation edging her voice.

I didn’t even know where to start, but I did. I told her everything, about the baby shower about Dion, Ashlen, the phones calls between myself and Atlas over the years. Atlas’s threats about wanting three years of my life in exchange for not dragging me through a custody battle. By the time I finished, I could barelybreathe. Vanessa, on the other hand, was eerily quiet. She was never quiet

“Well, shit,” she finally said. “You really outdid yourself this time, didn’t you?”

I let out a small, humorless laugh.

“Alright, listen up,” she said. “Atlas? He’s talking out of his ass. Legally, he’s got nothing. No judge is gonna let him take three years of your life like he’s some villain in a soap opera. So you can stop stressing about that.”

Relief flooded through me for a split second, but then she kept going.

“But,” she continued, her voice sharp, “you go to court for custody? That’s where things get ugly. If the story gets out that you cheated, got knocked up, and hid his kid while his wife was out here having miscarriage after miscarriage, you can kiss your career goodbye. You think your readers will stick by you? They’ll burn your books in the streets, babe. And don’t think for a second the media won’t eat this shit up.”

Her words were like a slap to the face. Vanessa wasn’t one to coddle me, but damn, tell me how you really feel.

“What am I supposed to do?” I muttered, rubbing my temples.

“Maybe his wife can talk some sense into him?” she offered half-heartedly.

“Ashlen’s gone,” I said quietly. “Left without a trace. Nobody knows where she is.”

“Of course she is,” Vanessa snorted. “Look, you’ve created an unbelievable shitstorm for yourself, Kairi. I hope you know that.”

“Yeah,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “I know.”

She sighed heavily, and I could hear her tapping her nails against her desk. “Okay, okay, here’s the deal. I’m taking off my agent hat for a minute. Friend advice time, alright?”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Alright.”

“I say do whatever the fuck he wants. You fight him, it could turn into a fight for years. And then what? You spend all your money, and you still end up co-parenting Dion in the end. What’s the point of dragging this shit out?”

“But Vanessa, he’s asking for three years of my life!” I protested, my voice shaking.

“Yeah, and?” she shot back. “What’s three years, Kairi? He could drag you through the mud for that long in court. Get it over with, and then move on with your life. You said you wanted kids—let him give them to you. Dion will have biological siblings, and you don’t play baby mama.”

She made it sound so simple, but it wasn’t. Giving Atlas what he wanted meant giving up control of my life.

“I don’t know if I can do that, Vanessa,” I muttered.

“Well, you’ve got a choice,” she said flatly. “You can either roll over on your back and get it done, or you can drag this shit out for years.”

I closed my eyes, feeling tears prick the back of my eyelids. “What about Davis?” I whispered, the guilt over him already gnawing at me.

Vanessa went quiet for a moment, and I could feel her choosing her next words carefully.

“Davis...” she began slowly, “is not part of this mess. Don’t make him part of it. He doesn’t deserve to be dragged through this. But you need to be honest with yourself. Who’s more important here? Davis... or Dion? Is Davis even more important than Atlas when you really think about it, since it seem you and this Atlas have been holding out for each other for years?”

I bit my lip hard, tears finally spilling over. I didn’t know the answer. How could I?

“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted, my voice cracking.

Vanessa sighed, her tough-love tone softening. “I know, babe. But you gotta make a decision, and you gotta make it soon. Atlas ain’t gonna wait forever.”

I nodded, wiping at my face, trying to pull myself together. “You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Vanessa replied. “Now, I’m always here if you need me. But I say you swallow your pride and do what you gotta do. It’s not pretty, but it’s reality.”

We hung up, and I sat there in silence. She was right about one thing—I had created a fucking mess. Now I had to figure out how to clean it up before it destroyed everything I had left.

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