Page 71 of Black Mark's Heart

"Yes. As I was saying, Mora, Darius has rejected your application for divorce altogether." Jack clasped his hands together. "If you want to proceed, we can subpoena him into the court and force it on him. It will be likely that the judge will order the prenup to be adhered to, and Darius will be able to request custody." Jack sat there waiting for me.

If he's sold Lynwood, his obligation to Fehu stops, or does it transfer?

"Mora?" Jack prompted. "I need to know how you wish to proceed."

"Um." I bit my lip. "It's all rather a lot to process, and with ‘Two’ nearly here, I'd rather not get locked into a heated legal battle right now." I pulled myself out of the seat awkwardly. "Do you mind if I wait for a month or two and get back to you?"

Jack smirked, dropping his pen on the desk. "I think that would be wise, Mora. I'll send you a final invoice and keep your file open for six months."

"Thanks, Jack." I shook his offered hand and waddled out of his office. That was not how I expected this afternoon to finish.

***

The taxi dropped me off at the gate, and I walked the kilometer up the driveway slowly. My back was killing me. I was still walking five kilometers a day to keep my fitness up, so it was more the slow process of waddling rather than walking that frustrated me. There was a strange car parked in the car port as I approached the house. "Bill, Jacob, I'm home," I called as I came through the front door.

Jacob came tearing around the corner from the sitting room. "Mama," he squealed. I picked him up carefully. "Dada here," Jacob laughed, pointing to the sitting room.

I froze for a moment. Swallowing hard, tears already pricking my eyes as I stepped around the corner to find Darius sitting on the sofa talking to Bill. They both stood as I entered the room. "Dare," I breathed his name.

Darius looked me over, his eyes filling with emotion. "I transferred Lynwood to your father," Darius explained straight out of the gate. "My obligations to the brotherhood no longer exist. The reason for our separation no longer exists."

"You still broke my heart. Three times, Dare." I held up my fingers for him to count. "Too many times."

Darius licked his lips nervously. "Bill. Could you...?"

"Of course," Bill nodded. "I might take Jacob upstairs to the playroom." Bill walked over and took Jacob out of my arms. "Call me if you need me."

I smiled. Bill wasn't even half Darius's size. I doubt he could take him if he needed to force him to leave.

Darius waited until Bill was up the stairs. "I love you, Mora. I've never stopped loving you. The last two years have been torture, but the last three months..." Darius shook his head. "Damn it, Mora, when you just upped and disappeared like that... I was probably verging on alcoholism when the divorce papers arrived."

Darius stepped forward. "I was already in negotiations with your father before you left. I didn't want to get your hopes up, so I didn't tell you. Then I turned up the next Sunday to see Jacob, and Marshall looked ready to kill something. He told me you'd vanished. He'd been to your apartment that morning to find you gone. You scared the living hell out of us."

I stayed there, quiet. About two minutes after I walked in the door, my first contraction had hit and I was scared if I moved it would all go to hell. I suddenly realized why my back was aching so badly. I was watching the clock, counting the time between contractions. Not even ten minutes apart. Jesus, I'd probably been in labor all the way home from the lawyer’s office in Edinburgh and not noticed because I was moving and in too much shock.

Darius looked at me imploringly. "Marshall thinks you hate him, Mora. I thought, after how we parted ways..." Darius stepped closer. "Tell me it's not too late, Mora?"

I felt my water go, my pants suddenly saturated.

"Mora?"

"We are going to have to wait to finish this conversation, Dare," I explained.

Darius frowned as I sucked in a deep breath and rubbed my belly. "Why?"

"Because my water just broke and I'm about an hour out from giving birth," I explained. "My bag is in the coat room. Can you drive me to the hospital please?"

Darius's eyes went wide. "Shit!" He moved quickly to the coat room.

"Bill!" I yelled, and a little bit of the pain of my next contraction mangled my voice.

Bill came running down the stairs. "Mora?"

"Baby's coming. Dare is taking me to the hospital," I informed him as I started moving towards the door.

"You're only thirty-seven weeks," Bill looked worried.

I shrugged. "Baby wants out, and frankly, I'm happy to let it do so."

---