Chapter 1
I met Kenneth Beaumont again after the divorce, inside a detention center.
He was now a suspect in a financial crime case, and I was the only lawyer he named.
"If you want me to take your case, the legal fee goes up ten times," I said, sliding the contract over.
Kenneth signed his name without reading a single clause. "I'm glad you came to help me."
I retorted at once, "I might be here for revenge."
He froze, then laughed softly. "Tara, you wouldn't."
His eyes held the same certainty and confidence as before.
My expression stiffened. I quickly pulled the signed contract back. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm just here to make money."
When I turned to leave, he stood up in a hurry. "Tara."
He paused before speaking again. "I owed you an apology."
However, I no longer needed it.
*****
As soon as I stepped out of the detention center, my assistant Velda Fields hurried after me.
"Tara, you're incredible," Velda gushed. "I can't believe we landed the case that had every law firm scrambling.
"Man, I feel like I've finally made it. Getting to work on such a high-profile case in my lifetime.
"The CEO of Beaumont Group really knows how to spend big. He just agreed to a tenfold fee without even blinking."
Velda hesitated, glancing at me with curiosity.
"Tara, seriously, what did you do to land such an insane retainer?" she asked.
I looked at her pure, unguarded expression.
Velda was just like I used to be, before life got complicated.
"There's no secret to it," I replied.
A sudden blast of cold air snuck down my collar, making me shiver.
I hugged my coat closer and headed for the parking lot.
"Kenneth is my ex-husband," I said.
"What?" Velda yelped, her voice cracking with shock.
She staggered, nearly losing her balance.
"Tara, you mean you were actually married to the richest guy around? No way," she exclaimed.
Her eyes went wide with disbelief as she stared at me. "So, why did you guys end up getting divorced?"
Before I could say a word, Velda was already jumping to conclusions, totally taking my side. "Did that scumbag cheat on you or something?
"How does he even have the nerve to come crawling to us for help? That's just messed up. How disgusting."
"Don't go full soap opera on me," I said, keeping my tone cool. "Kenneth never cheated on me."
"Then why did you split up?" Velda pressed.
I paused for a couple of seconds, calmly unlocking my car. "Believe it or not, it was all because of a jar of jam."
"Jam?" Velda repeated, looking at me strangely.
Yeah, who could've guessed a jar of jam would be what started to unravel the marriage between me and Kenneth up?
*****
It was just another ordinary day.
I was missing a taste of home, but when I opened the fridge, the jar of jam I'd put in there yesterday had vanished.
When I asked the maid, she told me Kenneth's mother, Sheryl had thrown it out.
Sheryl sipped her milk slowly as she said, "Don't bring this kind of sketchy stuff into the house anymore.
"If we get sick from it, are you going to take responsibility?"
She had always been this way.
She never liked me, or anything that was mine.
But the jam wasn't some random thing.
"It was—" I began.
Kenneth, sitting beside me, interrupted before I could finish. "Tara, what's done is done. Just forget about it."
I stared at him, stunned.
He simply wiped his mouth and set his utensils down.
"It's not a big deal. It wasn't anything valuable. Stop making a fuss," Kenneth said. "Just give the maid a heads-up next time."
With that, he grabbed his phone and walked out toward the garage.
I rushed after him and cut him off.
"You know my mom made that jam especially for me," I said. "Maybe it doesn't mean much to you, but to me, it's everything."
"And..." I continued, my voice trembling with hurt. "You know Sheryl threw it out on purpose."
"Tara!" Kenneth let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing his temples. "I'm not here to play referee between you and my mom, and I really don't have the time to deal with all that.
"I just want a peaceful, warm home. Can't you see that?"
"But I'm not the one who's always causing trouble—" I started.
"Tara!" Kenneth interrupted me again, sounding impatient. "I'm already worn out from handling work at the company every single day. Can you just be more sensible?"
His voice was gentle, but there was no mistaking the reproach in his tone.