The Marriage Contract

THE REMINDER

Marcus Sterling woke up on a Thursday.

I heard the news from Helen, who heard it from Webb, who heard it from a nurse at the hospital. Marcus was conscious. Marcus was talking. Marcus was already asking for his lawyers.

"Be careful," Helen said. "He's going to come after you."

"He's in a hospital bed."

"He's Marcus Sterling. He's been in hospital beds before. It's never stopped him."

I hung up. Stared at my phone.

Julian was in the kitchen, making coffee. He looked over at me, his expression questioning.

"Marcus is awake," I said.

Julian set down the coffee pot.

"What's he going to do?"

"I don't know. But Helen says to be careful."

"Helen's right." Julian crossed the room. Took my hands. "You should stay away from him."

"I can't. He's going to come to me."

"Then we'll be ready."

---

Marcus didn't come to the studio.

He sent someone else.

The woman was in her fifties, dressed in a navy pantsuit, her hair pulled back in a severe bun. She looked like she'd never smiled in her life.

"Ms. Chen," she said, stepping into my studio without an invitation. "I'm Eleanor Vance. I represent Marcus Sterling."

"I know who you are."

"Good." She sat down without being asked. "Then you know why I'm here."

"To threaten me?"

"To remind you." She opened her briefcase. Pulled out a document. "This is a cease and desist order. My client is prepared to file it if you continue to pursue legal action against his son."

"A cease and desist?"

"Your investigation has already caused significant harm to the Sterling family. My client's heart attack was directly related to the stress of your campaign against his son." She slid the document across the desk. "If you persist, we will seek damages for emotional distress, defamation, and interference with business relations."

I didn't touch the document.

"Marcus Sterling had a heart attack because his body is failing," I said. "Not because of me."

"Ms. Chen—"

"You can file your cease and desist. You can take me to court. You can try to intimidate me." I leaned forward. "But I'm not going to stop. Not until Daniel signs those divorce papers."

Eleanor Vance looked at me for a long moment.

Then she stood up.

"You're making a mistake," she said.

"I've made plenty of mistakes. This isn't one of them."

She walked to the door. Paused.

"Marcus asked me to give you a message."

"What message?"

"He said to remind you that your mother died alone." Her voice was cold. "And that you will too."

---

The door closed.

I sat at my desk, frozen.

My mother. Again. Marcus was using my mother against me. From a hospital bed. After a heart attack. He was still trying to destroy me.

Lena appeared in the doorway.

"Maya? Who was that?"

"Marcus's lawyer."

"What did she want?"

I picked up the cease and desist. Held it out to Lena.

"She wanted to remind me that my mother died alone."

Lena's face went pale.

"That bastard," she whispered.

"He's scared. That's why he sent her."

"Scared people do desperate things."

"I know." I stood up. "That's why I'm not going to let him win."

---

Julian came back from his delivery an hour later.

Lena must have called him, because he walked in with his jaw tight and his eyes hard.

"Marcus sent a lawyer," he said.

"Yes."

"She mentioned your mother."

"Yes."

Julian crossed the room. Took my face in his hands.

"You're not going to die alone," he said.

"You don't know that."

"I know that I'm not going anywhere." He pressed his forehead to mine. "I know that I love you. I know that I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure you never feel alone again."

I closed my eyes.

"Julian—"

"I don't care about the contract. I don't care about the divorce. I don't care about any of it." His voice was fierce. "I care about you. And I'm not going to let Marcus Sterling or anyone else take you away from me."

I opened my eyes.

He was crying.

Julian Park, who was always steady, always calm, always in control. He was crying.

"Okay," I said.

"Okay?"

"Okay, I believe you."

He kissed me. Not gentle this time. Desperate. Like he was afraid I would disappear.

I kissed him back.

And for the first time in five years, I let myself believe that someone might actually stay.