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We’re not too far from Noah’s house, so I like to imagine that even though I didn’t pay attention to what Elijah said on the drive, I didn’t miss much.
It’s terrible of me, however, and I add even more guilt to my ever-increasing amount.
“Liv, you’re going to miss the turn.”
Elijah pipes up from the back, loud enough to shake me from my thoughts, and I quickly slow down so I don’t miss Noah’s driveway.
It’s a close one, and the tires screech slightly as I brake.
“Sorry. Sorry. I got distracted.”
“It’s okay.” I hear Elijah shuffle in the back. “Hey, is that my mom’s car?”
Sure enough, as I pull to a stop off to the side of Noah’s drive, I see Natasha’s car waiting in the drive. I’ve only seen it when she picked Elijah up for the weekend, and she’s not due for a visit right now.
“It is. I wonder what’s going on. Would you stay in here a sec while I check?”
“Okay.”
Elijah sounds a bit worried, and I unbuckle to look back at him.
“I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll just be a second.”
I get out of my car and start for the front door of Noah’s house. I’m not entirely sure what I’m expecting, but something doesn’t sit right with me as I step inside.
From down the hall toward Noah’s office, I can hear raised voices. One is clearly Noah, and the other is, unfortunately, Natasha.
Their divorce has not been going well as of late, and while Noah has been doing a good job keeping his cool around Elijah, I imagine there’s only so much one person can take.
The yelling intensifies as I step closer to the hallway, and just as I’m about to go toward the office, Natasha barrels out of it, nearly knocking me to the ground in the hall as she pushes past on her way out.
“Watch it!”
“Excuse me. You weren’t really watching where you were going.”
As I start to stand, Henry, Noah’s ex-business partner, attempts to help me up, but Natasha glares and clucks her tongue at him.
“Come on! We have shit to do, and I’m not letting that arrogant bastard hold out on me anymore.”
My mouth drops open. Did I really just hear that?
“Natasha—” I furrow my brow at her “—try to think of Elijah. Please.”
She stops in her tracks and then stomps up to me, jabbing her finger through the air toward me.
“Back off, nanny! This is my business, so butt out! It’s not like you’ll be working here long, anyway.”
She spins around, but I grab for her arm to stop her.
“What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
Natasha pulls out of my loose grip, slinging her purse back up over her shoulder.
“Noah’s enterprise is going down, and there’s nothing you or he can do about it. He’s going to be jobless soon, sweetie.” A malicious grin full of hatred presses down on me as Natasha stands taller than me in her stilettos. “So you can kiss your cushy gig goodbye. You can go bother someone else.”
My pulse pounds in my ears, and I step forward.
“You can’t hurt Noah without hurting Elijah. Doesn’t that matter to you? You’re his mother. You’re supposed to be there to protect him, give him a good life, and all you care about is making Noah pay. And for what? Because he didn’t spoil you more? You can spoil yourself, you know. Get a job. Contribute to the family. You don’t get everything handed to you on a silver platter just because.”
