Chapter 5

　　Vesper's POV

　　I read the message three times before my brain finally processed the words properly.

　　Another party has officially stepped forward to contest guardianship.

　　For a second, I forgot where I was. Forgot the hotel. Forgot Jaxon. Forgot the disaster currently exploding online.

　　All I could see was Sunny's face.

　　An six-year-old who's obsessed with strawberry milkshakes and glitter sneakers. The kind of child who climbed into your lap without asking because she already assumed you loved her.

　　Chloe used to joke that Sunny liked me more than her.

　　God.

　　My chest tightened painfully.

　　I called Robert immediately.

　　The second he answered, I said, "What happened?"

　　"Miss Hale—"

　　"Don't lawyer-talk me right now, Robert."

　　A pause followed before his tone softened slightly. "Julian Mercer has officially filed for custody."

　　I frowned instantly. "Julian?"

　　Chloe's cousin's husband. Rich and cold personality. The type of man who wore cufflinks as a personality trait.

　　I remembered meeting him once during Christmas years ago. He barely spoke unless someone wealthier entered the room.

　　"What does he want with Sunny?"

　　"He's claiming biological family stability."

　　I laughed once in disbelief. "Stability? Julian changes girlfriends like phone cases."

　　"He's also extremely wealthy."

　　That part hit harder than it should have because, unfortunately, money mattered. A lot.

　　Robert exhaled quietly before continuing. "His legal team has already submitted the recent media coverage involving you and Mr. Laurent."

　　I went completely still.

　　"You're joking."

　　"I wish I were."

　　Heat rushed into my face instantly.

　　Oh my God, the goddamn headlines!

　　My fingers tightened painfully around my phone.

　　"The judge expressed concerns regarding your current circumstances," Robert continued carefully. "Your Single status, career instability, and Public scandal involvement."

　　Each word felt like another slap across the face.

　　"She actually said that?"

　　"Not directly, but the implication was clear."

　　Humiliation burned hot in my chest. Not because I cared what some judge thought about my personal life, but because they were talking about Sunny like she was some prize to be handed to whoever looked more respectable on paper.

　　"He's not taking Sunny from me," I said quietly.

　　Robert hesitated, and that hesitation terrified me more than anything else.

　　"There's still hope," he said quickly. "They will strongly favor you, and Julian's background investigation hasn't fully cleared due to unresolved marital complications."

　　I blinked slowly. "Marital?"

　　"Yes, which means the judge hasn't finalized anything yet."

　　A small amount of air returned to my lungs.

　　"Okay," I whispered. "Okay… then what do I need to do?"

　　There's another pause, but he replied.

　　"The strongest thing you could provide right now is evidence of a stable personal environment."

　　Dread slowly crawled up my spine.

　　"What kind of evidence?" I asked, dreading the answer.

　　"A stable marital relationship would help significantly at this point."

　　Silence filled my soul, and I genuinely thought I misheard him.

　　"…I'm sorry?"

　　"The court's concern is whether Sunny would have emotional stability in your care. A secure family structure would strengthen your case considerably."

　　I stared blankly ahead while my entire life somehow managed to become worse.

　　Across the room, Jaxon was watching me now,

　　Just watching carefully.

　　I turned away slightly and lowered my voice. "This is insane, Robert, you know I don't have that."

　　"I know." He sighed at the other end, and I tried so hard not to cry.

　　"No, seriously, this sounds like the plot of a terrible daytime television show."

　　"Vesper—"

　　"I'm being punished because sports bloggers think I slept with a hockey player."

　　Robert sighed quietly. "Perception matters, I'm sorry." I almost laughed, not because anything was funny, but because if I didn't laugh, I might actually start screaming.

　　"I'll call you back," I whispered finally.

　　The second the call ended, another notification appeared from my colleague, and another, which turned into dozens.

　　'People think Jaxon got caught cheating with you and is refusing to deny it.'

　　'Fans are attacking sponsors already.'

　　One sports page just called you "the mysterious brunette mistress."

　　I shut my eyes immediately and groaned from the sudden Migraine. I suddenly felt exhausted down to my bones. The kind of exhaustion sleep couldn't fix.

　　And somehow, humiliatingly, my hand started shaking slightly around the phone.

　　I hated that, I hated feeling overwhelmed. In seconds, I'm everywhere, and my life is about to collapse right before me. Elias must be laughing at my ass right now and calling me desperate.

　　I tightened my grip on the device, trying to steady myself before Jaxon noticed.

　　It's too late because suddenly he was moving, and before I realized it, he was standing directly in front of me.

　　He's way too close, and his shadow completely covers mine.

　　For once, he wasn't smiling, teasing, or acting amused by my suffering. His gaze dropped briefly to my shaking hand before lifting back to my face.

　　His expression changed to something more dangerous right now, and without saying a word, he reached forward and gently took the phone from my grip.

　　I should've stopped him.

　　Instead, I just stood there frozen while he placed it face down on the table beside us like he was silencing the entire world for one second.

　　"You're spiraling," he said quietly.

　　"I'm fine."I lied, and he scoffed.

　　"You're such a terrible liar, Vesper, your hands are shaking."

　　I immediately looked away, God. I hated being seen, especially by him.

　　Jaxon leaned one hand against the table beside me, close enough now that my pulse instantly betrayed me.

　　"You wanna tell me what happened?" he asked.

　　"No."

　　"That wasn't really a question."

　　I laughed bitterly under my breath. "Apparently, I'm too single to raise a child."

　　His brows pulled together slightly, so I told him everything, not all but mostly about Sunny and the custody fight.

　　The judge practically decided my personal life looked too unstable for motherhood.

　　By the time I finished, my throat felt tight with humiliation.

　　Jaxon stayed quiet longer than expected afterward.

　　He's too quiet. I wanted to slap myself for saying shit; he would laugh at me now.

　　But he looked down at me slowly, and suddenly that terrifying calmness was back.

　　"You can't solve this alone," he said, and I folded my arms immediately.

　　 "Watch me."

　　"That attitude's cute, Vesper, but it's not helping."

　　I glared at him. "I met you today and somehow you've already become ninety percent of my problems, watch me walk away to solve my shit."

　　His mouth twitched slightly with a smirk.

　　"Only ninety?"

　　I didn't smile because the fear was finally settling in properly now.

　　The possibility of losing Sunny and failing Chloe. It sat heavily in my chest like panic waiting to happen.

　　Jaxon studied me for another long second before speaking again, low and steady.

　　"You know what your problem is? You keep trying to survive everything by yourself."

　　"That's usually what normal people do."

　　"No," he said quietly. "That's what abandoned people do."

　　The words hit so hard I forgot how to breathe for a second.

　　Before I could respond, he stepped even closer. Close enough that I could feel the heat coming off his body. Close enough that my brain stopped functioning correctly again.

　　Then he said the one thing I absolutely did not expect.

　　"You can't solve this," he murmured. "But the moment you become Jaxon Laurent's wife…"

　　My heartbeat stopped. His eyes locked onto mine completely.

　　This time it's cold. "…I can make everyone who tries to take things away from you pay the price."