I didn’t hire a lawyer.

I should have. It would have been the smart thing to do. But when that bailiff showed up at my door three days ago with the sheaf of court documents, it was the bale of hay that broke this camel’s back. My mind broke. I’ve been in a fog ever since.

Archie walking away from our family is the biggest loss I’ve ever suffered. But the thought of losing River, too…I don’t know how to handle that.

I didn’t hire a lawyer. And now, as I stand here in front of this apathetic, stern-faced judge, I finally have the good sense to start regretting that decision. Depression does fucked up things to your decision-making process. I should have jumped into action the minute I got those court documents but I was paralyzed until the very last minute, this morning when I finally picked up the phone and called Reese and Nova for help. I shouldn’t have waited so long.

The judge looks out at the courtroom over the top of his glasses. “Are the parties ready to proceed?”

My pulse is going crazy, pumping way too fast. I’m dizzy. I’m nervous.

When I glance over my shoulder, my friends smile supportively. That doesn’t do a damn thing to comfort me.

Across from me, on the other side of the room, Clara wears an expression of stone, sitting between her lame-ass son and her lawyer.

The nerve of that woman. The nerve of her!

Her lawyer clears his throat and stands. “Your honor, counsel would like to convene with the defendant before proceeding, please.”

That bastard lawyer wants to talk to me? What could we possibly have to say to each other?

The judge’s gaze moves to me and then back to the other side of the room. He heaves a sigh. His expression saying that he’s more than ready for this thing to be over. He probably has a bologna sandwich with his name written all over it.

With a frosty expression, he lifts his gavel. “The parties may convene quickly. Court will be back in session in ten minutes.” His mallet smacks loudly, echoing through the room. Then, he gets up and disappears through a back door.

As I stand, I avoid eye contact with Josh and his mother because god knows I won’t be responsible for my actions if I look at them. Their lawyer leads us all to a quiet spot around the corner at the end of the hallway out of earshot of everyone else.

“Look, Ms. Gallo. I’m just going to cut to the chase,” he says starkly. “This isn’t about the engagement ring. My clients don’t give a fuck what you did with that thing.”

Josh mumbles in the background. “I knew I shouldn’t have given her a real diamond.”

I snarl, fucking offended. Seriously, dude. How much lamer can this guy get?

“Here’s the thing,” the lawyer continues. “Mrs. Davies just wants to see the child. Once a week is good enough. We can make arrangements for pick up and drop off, if transportation is an issue—”

“Are you people insane?” I shriek. “River is not Josh’s child. A paternity test could prove that easily.”

The lawyer nods. “My client isn’t too concerned about paternity to be honest. Hence the reason why she’s suing for the engagement ring and not for visitation rights.”

Yes, my ex-fiance and his mother are suing me to return the engagement ring because they know that I can’t. I pawned that thing ages ago to make ends meet when I was at my lowest point. But the point of this lawsuit is to blackmail me into letting Clara live out grandma fantasies with my child. That ring was worth a lot of money but if I agree to let Clara get visitation with River, this whole lawsuit goes away.

This is how rich people get their way.

I am so mad. Vibrating with rage. And I have no idea how I’m going to get myself out of it, but exposing my child to that woman is not an option.

The smarmy lawyer adjusts his tie and sits on the edge of a table parked against the wall. “The law is on our side and if you can’t return the ring or pay compensation instead, you’re going to have a problem on your hands, Ms. Gallo. It would be a shame for you to lose that business you worked so hard to build. Would that be worth it to you?”

I can’t lie. Fear starts to take root in my belly. But there’s no way I’m letting Clara bully me into having a place in my daughter’s life.

It does mean that I may be on the verge of losing the daycare center, though. Before it even officially opens up for business.

Clara’s got tears in her eyes. “Be reasonable,” she begs. “All I want is to have a granddaughter.”

“But River is not your granddaughter.” I’m really not understanding this.

She sniffles. “But I’ll treat her like a granddaughter. I’ll be a better grandmother than Agata. That’s for sure. Raising a child is expensive. I’ll take care of all those expenses. Help me, so I can help you.” She clasps her hands in front of her chest. “I’m just so lonely, Sophia.”

A big body bursts around the corner and a booming voice rings out in the air. “If you’re lonely, then get a dog, bitch!”

My head snaps over and I see Archie standing there, shoulders broad, hands fisted. My entire body shudders with relief at the sight of him.

He steps up to the smarmy lawyer and snarls. “You’d better go into that courtroom and tell the judge you changed your mind about this bullshit lawsuit. My daughter is not a pet and my family is not up for sale.”