Anna

Exhaustion weighed me down as I poured my first cup of coffee. I was behind at work, so I’d stayed up half the night to meet a deadline. Sean wanted me to quit, but that was out of the question. For now, at least.

“If you’re tired, Miss Anna, I’ll watch the little bug for you,” Lola said with a smile. “It’s no trouble.”

Though I rarely trusted anyone with Willow, Sean’s housekeeper was the exception. Lola was kind in a no-nonsense way, and she adored my child.

Smiling, I took a sip of the caffeinated glory. “I might doze on the couch. If you wouldn’t mind checking on Willow in a little while, I’d appreciate it. I might be passed out.”

“Do you know when Mr. Sean is getting back?”

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks, but I wasn’t sure why.

Lola’s chuckled. “I take it things are going well with you two?”

I bit back a smile. “We’ve known each other a long time. We were high school sweethearts.” I shrugged, sheepishly. “Anyway, Sean should be back in a few days. But he’ll probably be leaving for a long tour shortly after that.”

Fighting the frown tugging my lips, I banished any notion that I’d made a mistake staying here, letting Sean back in.

We’re going to make it.

It was the first time I’d felt it with such certainty. And even after our fight, I believed it to be true. Because Sean was fighting for us.

Lola patted my arm. “He loves you. I can see it.” Her gaze followed mine to Willow. “And that little girl? She hangs the moon for him.”

My heart swelled, and I nodded. “I better get some work done. Or try, at least.”

I grabbed my laptop on the way to the couch and then, settling into my favorite corner, I pulled up a deposition, and soon I was lost in all the legal mumbo-jumbo.

“Sen!”

Expecting to find him standing in the doorway, I whipped my head around when Willow squealed Sean’s name.

But no.

No. No. No.

Bile crawled from the depths of my stomach when I saw Sean’s image on the television screen, Kimber Tyson’s hand molded to his chest.

“Ma! Sen!” Willow jumped up and down, pointing at her daddy.

Stumbling to my feet to grab the remote, I plopped onto the coffee table to rewind the footage. My vision clouded, and I couldn’t breathe as Sean’s voice filled the room in surround sound.

I don’t know how long I sat there, rewinding the scene over and over.

Willow finally settled down, taking a seat on the floor with her thumb in her mouth, like she could sense something was wrong.

Vaguely, I heard a knock at the front door, followed by footsteps on the travertine.

Too late, I wiped the tears dripping from my chin. Peyton was already in front of me, wrestling the remote from my hand, cursing under her breath.

Pity swam in her eyes when she looked down at me.

She knew.

Everyone knew.

“I’ve got to c-call Sean,” I stammered, but Peyton’s firm grip on my shoulder held me in place.

“Not yet.”

Anger flared, and I knocked her arm away. “You don’t understand.”

I didn’t understand. But Sean would explain. He had to explain.

Peyton shook her head, digging something out of her purse. “No, sweetie, you don’t understand. Sean’s attorney sent these over this morning.”

Staring at the document she’d shoved into my hand, the words blurred and then came into focus, clear as a bell.

Everything was clear now.

Sean Jacob Hudson vs. Annabelle Dresden Kent

That’s as far as I got before my whole world went dark.