Serenity (Inevitable #5)(136)

"Then take me to fucking court!" she challenged. "Because I'm not going to sign anything willingly."

"You might change your mind when you go over the revised settlement terms," replied Matthew rather matter-of-factly. "Let's call it a bit of extra motivation for you to make this easier for all of us. Effective immediately, each day that you refuse to sign, the amount of the settlement decreases by a hundred grand. That works out to three million a month, Linz. So I'd really urge you to reconsider, given your spending habits. That's a lot of money to lose while we're waiting for a judge to grant me a divorce. My attorney said sometimes these cases can drag on for a few months. Think about it, hmm?"



       
         
       
        

Lindsey pounded her fist on the kitchen table, causing the dishes to rattle precariously. "Fuck that!" she hissed. "You can't do that, Matt!"

"Ah, I beg to differ," he taunted. "Call your attorney and ask her, Linz. I think you should start practicing your signature as soon as possible."

Lindsey stormed out of the room, her phone in hand, leaving Matthew to face his teary-eyed, trembling daughter.

"Daddy, I'm s-sorry," sobbed Hayley. "I know how angry you must be right now. But Mom made me do it, I swear. I never wanted to lie to you, but she didn't give me a choice."

"I'm not angry, Hayley," he replied stoically. "At least not with you. But I am disappointed. Terribly disappointed that you could willingly participate in something like this. And knowing your mother, I'm convinced she forced you into this. But you should have confided in me, Hayley. Should have told me what she was up to. Do you honestly think I would have allowed her to send you off to some boarding school without my consent? I'm hurt that you had so little faith in me."

Hayley flung herself at him, wrapping her thin arms around his waist as she wept against his chest. "I didn't think it would ever get this far. Mom was convinced that the two of you would get back together right after you moved back in. But when that didn't happen, things just got more involved."

"Didn't you ever hear that old saying "oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive"?" he murmured. "Basically, it means that once you start lying you can't stop. Otherwise, everyone will realize that you were lying all along. Now, be honest with me for once, Hayley. What was the real reason you chose to go along with your mother's crazy scheme?"

Hayley kept her gaze downcast, too ashamed to meet his eyes. "I - I guess maybe part of it was that I was, well, jealous of Sasha," she admitted reluctantly. "I didn't like it that she obviously meant that much to you. And I sort of hated the fact that she was so perfect. No matter how much of a bitch I was to her, she was always nice, always understanding. And somehow that made me feel bad about myself, like admitting that I wasn't a very nice person."

"You weren't," agreed Matthew without hesitation. "At least not to her. And you're right. Sasha made every effort to be your friend, to get along, and you froze her out each time. And because of your little games, you've managed to destroy my relationship with her, Hayley. You know, I hadn't been happy with your mother for a long time. I'll accept the blame for part of that, but it was largely her fault that our marriage went to pieces. When I started seeing Sasha, I felt happier than I had in years. Now that's all gone, thanks to you and your mother." 

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she sniffled. "I wish I could make it up to you somehow."

Matthew shook his head, taking a step back. "I don't see how that's possible at the moment," he said sadly. "Look, Hayley. You know I'm always here for you. You can call or text me if you need something. But, well, I think that it's going to take a little time for me to process all of this, to forgive you, and until then it's probably best if we don't see each other. I'll call you in a few days, okay?"

Hayley nodded sadly. "Okay. I - I wish none of this had ever happened, Daddy. That I called you the first time Mom started talking about the idea."

He pressed a farewell kiss to her forehead. "Me, too."





"I'm afraid there isn't much food here at the moment, buddy. We'll have to go shopping sometime tomorrow and stock up."

Casey shrugged unconcernedly. "No big deal, Dad. I know where all the places to eat are around here, so I can fend for myself for a day or two."

Matthew grinned, rumpling his son's hair affectionately. "Yeah, you sure can. But you won't have to keep doing that any longer. You and I are a team now, Casey. And you're never going back to live with your mother. I should have insisted on getting custody of you when I first left your mother. But at the time I didn't want you to have to leave your friends, or change schools during your last year at middle school."