Page 61 of Knot Forever

I stand up, moving around the room. “Your husband is an alcoholic, Mrs Chevnik. He spends his time drinking, and you spend your time trying to come up with more funds to replace the ones he’s gambling away.”

I glance at her. Nova’s mother has her arms wrapped around her, her face pale. “I’d say this isn’t your fault, but seeing this room and the choice you’ve made, you’ve lost any sympathy I may have had for you.”

I nod to Marcus. He opens the file in his hands, taking a pen from his pocket and sliding it across the table. Lara picks it up, her hands shaking. “What’s this?”

“An agreement,” I say smoothly, sitting back next to Marcus. “The King pack will pay all of your remaining debts, Mrs Chevnik. We will also provide you with a generous monthly allowance. Enough to live comfortably, if not excessively. The allowance will be in your name, not your husbands. Any decisions you make from there will be your own.”

She swallows, but I can see the greed in her eyes. “And you get Nova, I suppose.”

“No.” My voice is hard, and she flinches, but I don’t give a fuck. “You will sign the legal document in front of you which emancipates Nova from any restrictions owing to her being under the age of majority. She will be free to make her own decisions, whatever they may be. She will be free from you.”

Lara flinches. “I’m not a bad mother, Mr King.”

“Bad parents always try to explain why they’re not bad,” I say quietly, meeting her eyes. “Good parents never have to explain anything. I had a mother like you once, Lara. Who always looked at me for what I could give her, and never as a person in my own right.”

Marcus clears his throat, but his voice is just as cold as mine when he speaks. “Nova deserves to live a life where she can make decisions that put her first, the way that you never have. Sign the document, Mrs Chevnik. Or you’ll find that all of your debts will be called in, starting from tomorrow.”

We’re not fucking around. The Williams pack should stay clear, but they have plenty of other debts that will sink them completely if we pull on the strings holding them.

Lara’s shoulders slump, but she reaches out and signs without further comment. “Tell Nova—”

“Tell her yourself,” I snap. “And start with an apology.”

Marcus and I stand. We leave her there, my hand firm on the papers that hold Nova’s future in my hand as we leave.

Chapter twenty-seven – Nova

Marcusstaresdownatthe plate in front of him.

“Just a bite,” I coax. “One little bite, Marcus. I think you’ll like it.”

He scrunches his nose up like a little kid. “I’m sure I will. Maybe.”

Gingerly, he reaches out for the slide of cherry bakewell tart that I’ve carefully cut into perfect slices and lifts it to his mouth, biting into it carefully.

I hold my breath as I watch him swallow. “Good?”

He smiles. “I need you to make this all the time, Nova. It tastes just like you.”

“Yes!” I punch the air in delight, and Marcus laughs. He’s always so serious that the sound stops me, and I stare at him.

“What is it?” He asks immediately, and I wave my hand at him.

“Nothing,” I say with my own grin. “Nothing at all.”

We sit there and eat cake, Marcus happily demolishing three slices until I wrestle the rest away into Tupperware, ignoring his puppy-dog eyes.

“No,” I scold him playfully as he stares mournfully at the tub in my arms. “Later, yes. After dinner. It’s not that far away.”

He sighs. “That’s very responsible of you. What are we having for dinner?”

I glance over at the plan to check what I’ve written. “Lasagne. Is that okay?”

He taps his fingers on the table. “That’s great. I love your lasagne.”

I start to pull out the ingredients, and Marcus helps, measuring everything out in perfect little heaps as I get to work. The kitchen fills up with steam and conversation as we talk.

“Have you thought about what you want to do after your heat?” he asks. We’re side by side, layering the lasagne in perfect sheets of pasta and spooning mixture in between.

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