1 Chapter 1

1

Jordan smiled at his client and watched as she signed the papers. He didn’t always view his courtroom victories as successes. Sure, he’d technically gone down as the attorney with the win, but in theory these were two people who’d loved each other once. He couldn’t feel good about their love story coming to an end.

Every once in a while, though, Jordan got a case that screamed out for annulment. Today was one of those days. He wanted to celebrate the end of this marriage with a big brass band, and maybe a ticker tape parade down Wall Street. “Congratulations, Victoria. You’re safe now. He’s out of your life for good, and because you were smart you took a lump sum for support instead of getting payments over time. He’s got nothing to hold over you now.”

The atmosphere in Jordan’s office lightened considerably. Victoria smiled, really smiled, for the first time since Jordan met her. The perfect white teeth he saw were implants, of course. Her face was pretty, but it was also reconstructed. The judge had taken one look at photos from the hospital and given her anything she asked for.

“Thank you, Jordan. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever get away. So many people told me it would be harder than this.”

“Well, I’ve got to be honest with you. If you get the wrong judge, it can be. Brett’s abuse was well documented and he didn’t bother denying it. He just blamed it on booze.” Jordan sighed and took the papers. One of the paralegals would take it down to the courthouse and file it. “I want you to remember, Victoria, none of this is your fault. I don’t care who told you what, none of it is your fault and it’s not down to you. Okay? He made his choices, you’re not responsible for them. You’ve got a whole new life to look forward to now. Enjoy it, all right?”

She blinked back tears, but these were tears of joy. Most of Jordan’s clients didn’t have tears of joy when their marriages ended. Even the plaintiffs, the people who initially sought to dissolve their marriages, weren’t usually thrilled about it. Victoria’s case was different, and he had to be glad. “Hopefully the next time we see each other it will just be social.”

“From your lips to God’s ears, right?” He rose and shook her hand, walking her to the door. Her back was straighter, head held higher, than he’d seen in her before.

Jordan rarely got to see that in people.

He doubted he’d get to see it in his next client. He looked out into the reception area and saw a handful of people, all patiently waiting to talk to someone who would help them dissolve their marriages. How had they gotten to such a point? Was love, and commitment, truly a figment of the past? It seemed absurd, but here they were. Almost all of the twenty seats in the reception area were occupied.

He leaned in to whisper to the receptionist. “Jenny, who’s my next client?”

Jenny, a former client of the firm, now in her early sixties, smiled up at him. “Oh, there you are. You’re seeing Mr. Mishra next. He’s the gentleman over there.” She indicated a tall, light-skinned South Asian man in the middle of the seating area. Mishra was handsome, and for a second Jordan indulged in a fantasy about a client seeking a divorce because he was gay and looking for a partner in a law firm.

It was only a fantasy. Mishra might be handsome—beautiful, even—but he was still a client, and Jordan had ethical standards. He made a mental note to spend a little extra time on the rowing machine later to work off that sexual frustration and approached his client.

“Mr. Mishra? I’m Jordan Stafford, your attorney.”

Mishra stood up and offered his hand. He had a good, firm handshake and a ready smile. “Pleased to meet you. Please, call me Dinesh. Should we get started?”

“If you’ll follow me. We can talk in my office.” Jordan started off heading for his office, but he realized after a second that they were a trio and not a pair. He turned around, ready to challenge the interloper, but Dinesh just ducked his head and blushed. “Sorry. This is my brother-in-law—er, soon to be ex brother-in-law, Sam Sheehan. He’s here for moral support. I hope you don’t mind?”

Jordan smiled and shook hands with Sheehan. He’d never had the brother of the other party in the divorce show up to a meeting before. At least the discussion should be interesting. Sheehan was handsome too, and if Jordan had to be cooped up in his office on a gorgeous August day he might as well be locked up with two hot guys.