“Thomas, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to pass on this opportunity.”
His beady eyes glance up at me from the papers on his desk, then he squints. “Say that again.”
I clear my throat, my fingers twisting and turning into each other. “I said, you’re going to have to find someone else to work on the Emily Jones case.”
Dropping his pen on his desk and sitting back, he stares at me for a moment before he speaks. “And why is that, Addison. Please enlighten me to the reason I shouldn’t fire you here on the spot.”
Oh shit, here it comes. “Because Thomas, I recently lost my dad to cancer, it’s too much for me to watch a little girl battle the same disease.”
He rubs at his temples and closes his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Dropping his pen on the papers in front of him, he looks up in thought. “What about paperwork? You won’t need to visit her, but there’s someone I need to keep at a distance and I need help fighting back at his attorneys.”
He can only be talking about Damian. I can’t help him with this.
“My neighbor is Damian Walker.” I blurt.
His eyes widen. “Is this some kind of joke?” he asks.
I shake my head, and his eyes glare at me.
“Are you sleeping with him?”
Shocked, I don’t answer.
“How long have you known you were putting both my firm and your job at risk, Addison?”
Looking at the floor, my hands are twisting together when I answer, “About a month.”
He doesn’t even pause. “You’re fired.”
I knew this was coming, but it still stings. “Because I live next door to a man who only wants to see what’s best for Emily?”
“No, because you are refusing to work on a case that I’ve assigned to you.”
“Why do you hate him so much?” I ask quietly.
He stands, meeting my gaze. “Damian Walker was driving the car the night Emily’s mom died. He killed her. Has he ever shared that information with you, Addison? Told you he’s the reason Emily’s an orphan in the first place?”
I did not hear him right. This must be a mistake. We’ve talked about this, Damian’s told me Emily’s story and it never included him.
“You seem surprised.” I can hear Thomas talking, but it’s distant. Everything feels distant.
I collapse into the empty leather chair across from him, my mind spinning as to why Damian would lie to me.
“Probably a tiny fact you would have liked to know before you risked your job for him. Damian’s lucky I’ve allowed him this much access as it is. He’s not getting any parental rights over that little girl, and feel free to let him know that the next time he needs to borrow and egg. You’re dismissed.”
Emily’s mom died in a car accident. Damian’s car accident.
For the second time in my life, I feel completely abandoned by a man. Being left physically is one thing, being left emotionally leaves an entirely new scar on your heart. Throwing all my caution to the side, I’d jumped into this relationship, believing everything he told me about commitment and the future he wanted with me. But right now, I can’t see much of a future at all.
I have to get out of here. Forcing myself up from the deep leather seat, I bolt out of Thomas’ office and into my own, grabbing my purse and deciding I’ll pack my personal belongings another day. I need to talk to Damian.
“I’m sorry, Addison. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I was walking by Thomas’s office just now. Did he really fire you?”
Startled by the sudden intrusion into my thoughts, I almost crash into Veronica as I’m leaving the office. Nodding and doing my best to hold back the tears, I watch as she bites her bottom lip in contemplation.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but it may make you feel better. Thomas was an orphan. That’s why he took this case.”
“What?” I’m not processing what she’s trying to tell me, too focused on the fact that Damian never shared the entire story.
“Thomas. He was ten when his parents were killed in a car accident, much the same way Emily’s mom died. He was a system kid, never got out of it until he was eighteen.”
“So, it’s personal for him,” I finally respond.
“Deeply.”
I give her a big hug. “Thanks Veronica. It doesn’t change anything, but it does explain things. I’ll be back in a few days to gather my belongings.”