Eight Years That Were Stolen

Synopsis

After the last boutique law firm in Chicago politely showed me the door, my phone rang. "Natalie, I told you." Gavin’s voice was smooth, carrying that trademark courtroom arrogance. "No one is taking your case." "Drop the claims. Stop pursuing the plagiarism allegations against Megan. Whatever you want, I can give it to you." I gripped my phone, saying nothing. A month ago, I was one of the most sought-after names in romance publishing, and he was a top-tier litigation attorney with a near-perfect win record. We’d been together for eight years. Everyone thought we were the perfect couple. Until my upcoming novel, Spring Stars on the Water, was accused of plagiarizing a book released three months prior by a debut author named Megan Monroe. That was how I found out Gavin was cheating on me. He had personally handed my early manuscript over to the other woman. I demanded to sue. But Gavin leveraged his firm’s conflict of interest, client relations, and industry reputation to ensure that every decent law firm I approached systematically rejected me. I was about to tell him to go to hell, but he spoke again. "Your father’s case." His tone dropped. "I found the key materials that can clear his name. Agree to this, and I’ll give you access to the full file." The refusal died in my throat. That book was the story of our eight years. Now that the story was over, I didn't want the book anymore. I said calmly, "Fine."