My Billionaire Ex-Lover

The Promise

I could not believe I let that asshole use me again.

By the time I got home, I was in tears and my hair was all over the place. I had not had the time to freshen up or take a bath before I made the discovery, and the moment I was out of his penthouse, I flagged down a cab to take me home.

Luckily, Lopez, Ethan’s nanny, had taken him to the park, and so I had the house to myself. I would have hated for my son to see me like this, looking all messy and disheveled like a mad woman. I was still in shock and disbelief from what I saw. So, all of it was just an act? All of it; Liam pretending to be mad at Victoria during the dinner, how he consoled me when I fell apart, how he looked me in the eyes and made me believe that I wasn’t just another chapter in their twisted game.

And I fell for it. Again

I slept with him. God, I actually slept with him.

I felt so disgusted and ashamed of myself. When will I learn?

When I felt a little bit settled, I stripped off my clothes, his clothes and went into the bathroom. I turned the water on as hot as I could stand and stood there under the steam, letting it scald my skin. I scrubbed my body, trying to get his touch and maddening scent out of my skin. I could still taste him, the sweet, heady taste of him still lingered on my lips, in my mouth. I grabbed my toothbrush and brushed until my gums bled. It still felt like it wasn’t enough. Nothing was.

I ran my fingers between my thighs and felt how sore I was. I felt raw. The memory of how he had lifted me up so effortlessly, how he had devoured me with that same passion I used to dream about, made my stomach twist painfully. Not in desire this time, but in shame. How could I have allowed this to happen after everything he’d done?

I have never dated another man seriously after Liam; he destroyed me so much that the thought of being with another man made me sick. Aside from a drunk one-night stand at my friend Cathy's birthday party two years ago, I hadn’t let another man touch me. My life was dedicated to caring for my son and building my career.

The moment I was out of the bathroom, I wrapped myself in a towel, sat on the edge of my bed, and opened my laptop. My fingers trembled as I typed ‘custody law firms near me’ on Google and clicked on the first link that popped up. According to the firm's website, they had won 80 out of the 100 custody cases they had taken.

Not good enough.

A 20 percent chance of losing Ethan was 20 percent too much.

I spent all day doing research, reading articles, scanning reviews, and watching YouTube interviews with lawyers. The few law firms I called hung up the moment they heard I was trying to build a case against the Sinclairs. Hours passed. At some point, my eyes grew heavy, and I dozed off with my laptop still on my lap.

I jolted awake when my phone rang. I squinted at the screen.

Cathy.

The same friend whose party I had that regrettable hookup two years ago.

Still, she had been there for me through a lot, even if we hadn’t spoken in a while.

“Hey, babe,” she chirped, her voice high-pitched as usual.

“Hi Cathy,” I managed. My throat was dry. “ Do you happen to know any Custody lawyers?” I asked her, not even caring to have any pleasantries with her.

There was a beat of silence on the other end.

“Is everything okay?” She asked, her voice laced with concern.

I felt the tears gather in my eyes again.

“I messed up, Cat,” I sniffed

“What happened?” She asked me

“Liam’s back…and he wasn’t to take Ethan from me,” I said in one breath.

“He what?” she said sharply.

"I closed my eyes. “ I found a custody agreement on his laptop while I was at his place. He and Victoria…they’re planning to take me to court.”

“Wait..you were at his place? Why were you at his place?” Cathy asked, clearly shocked.

I realized how it looked then. I had no business going to Liam’s place. How do I begin to explain all of how I ended up at his penthouse to Cathy? Do I mention that I had s*x with him? Do I mention that I think I was still in love with him, despite everything?

I felt pathetic.

I began explaining to Cathy as best as I could, hoping she wouldn’t judge me. I told her everything. How I ran into him at the gala, and he found out about Ethan. How I agreed to meet up with him and how Victoria came into the picture. I took a pause before I told her how I had gotten drunk and ended up in his penthouse. I tried not to give her too many details about the s*x part, but she got the idea anyway..

Cathy never really got to meet Liam, but I had told her all about him. As a matter of fact, none of my family or friends had ever met Liam in person. He never had the time. Or maybe, deep down, he never wanted to be seen with me.

There was a long pause after I was done explaining everything to Cathy.

“He can’t do that, he can’t take Ethan,” Cathy said finally, her voice firm.” He can’t. And even if he tries, he is not going to win. Ethan is your son and you’ve been the one taking care of him all these years”. I felt strangely relieved by Cathy’s words.

I wiped my face. “ I can’t lose him, Cathy. I don’t know what I'd do…”

“You won't,” she said. “Listen, I know someone. My cousin, Rachel. She’s a custody lawyer. Really good. She’s tough as nails and doesn’t take crap from anyone, especially not from entitled rich men who think the world should bend to their every wish. I’m going to call her right now and see if she can take your case.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Thank you.”

“No, don’t thank me yet,” she said. “Just promise me you’ll stay strong. For Ethan”

“I will”

“And also..I need you to promise you’re not going to sleep with him again,” Cathy said, her voice serious.

“I won’t,” I said, even if I could hardly believe myself.

“I need you to say it,” Cathy stressed.

“ I won’t sleep with him again,” I swallowed

There was a silence between us

“I’ll text you her contact info soon,” Cathy added. “Try to get some rest, okay.”

“Okay”

After the call ended, I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling.