Emma
Forty-five minutes.
That was how long Derek had given me to decide whether I was still the woman who hid when he told a lie about her.
I stared at the clock on Jake’s microwave.
4:46 a.m.
Forty-four minutes.
“Emma.”
I turned.
Jake stood beside the island with his cut in one hand and his phone in the other. He looked ready to walk straight into battle, but for once, he wasn’t telling me to stay behind.
“Sterling’s calling in.”
“Put him on speaker.”
Jake did.
Arthur Sterling’s voice filled the penthouse. “I’ve read the filing. Before anyone panics, understand something. This is desperation dressed in expensive legal language.”
“Can it hurt me?” I asked.
A brief pause.
“Yes.”
Jake’s jaw tightened.
I appreciated Sterling more for not lying.
“How?”
“They aren’t asking th
