He Scored My Life A 4 And Hers A 10 Chapter 05

He Scored My Life A 4 And Hers A 10 Chapter 05

The word “Divorce” on the summons burned into his eyes like a brand.

Derek flipped through the documents again and again, refusing to believe they were real

Laurel was actually divorcing him. She’d filed a lawsuit.

The paper crumpled in his grip. He dialed her number.

No answer. Over and over.

He opened their chat and typed furiously.

[Laurel, don’t joke about our marriage. Withdraw the lawsuit now!]

(It’s our baby’s memorial day. How could you pull something like this?)

[Your emotions have completely destroyed your judgment. I won’t agree to this divorce. Zero

points!]

Message after message.

Every single message bounced back. He was blocked.

His phone rang. He answered without looking.

“Laurel, withdraw the lawsuit now. I don’t have time for your games!”

A man’s voice came through instead.

“Mr. Sterling, I’m Ms. Laurel Morgan’s attorney. From now on, I’ll handle all communications with you regarding the divorce proceedings and the criminal case involving Ms. Morgan’s mother.”

“Please keep your line available and stop harassing my client.”

Derek froze.

Criminal case?

But that wasn’t his concern right now.

“Where is she? Put Laurel on the phone!”

“Ms. Morgan has left the country. I’m not at liberty to disclose her location. You’ll be dealing with

me from here on.”

“Left the country?”

Derek let out a derisive laugh, as if he’d caught her in an obvious lie.

“Her accounts are frozen. She’s been a housewife for five or six years with no real job. How could

possibly get a visa?”

“Don’t waste my time with that garbage.”

He knew exactly how much Laurel had sacrificed for him.

She’d given up a prestigious research position her professor had practically begged her to take.

All to marry him.

There was no way she could survive without him.

That thought anchored him. He wasn’t even interested in hearing the rest of what the attorney had

to say.

“Withdraw the lawsuit, or I can’t promise her mother’s medical bills will keep getting covered.”

He hung up.

He sat on the couch and waited.

A short while later, the front door clicked open.

A smug smile spread across his face. He spoke without turning around.

“Finally came to your senses?”

“Withdraw the lawsuit and behave, and I won’t touch your mother’s treatment funds. You can even

move back in.”

“But if you ever try using divorce to threaten me again, don’t blame me when your score drops even

lower.”

A bark cut him off.

Derek spun around.

Sloane stood there with a small pack of puppies.

Her face was flushed with embarrassment.

“Derek, it’s me.”

His brow furrowed hard.

“What are you doing here? I thought the party was over.”

Sloane’s eyes shimmered with practiced tears.

“Derek, I took the puppies home, but they kept crying and wouldn’t sleep.”

“I think they got attached to this place. So I brought them back.”

He rubbed his temples, exasperated.

“Today’s the memorial for my child. That room is for that. Not for them.”

“And it’s a nursery. I let you use it as a temporary pet room. Don’t get that confused.

“Don’t bring them back here without asking me first.”

Sloane’s eyes welled up, her lower lip trembling. “But you scored the nursery a three and the pet room a ten. Doesn’t that mean you’d rather give it to my puppies?”

“If you’re worried about the extra work, I could move in and help take care of them.”

“Since Laurel’s so set on divorce, the room’s just sitting empty anyway. Waste not, want not. Isn’t that what you always say?”

“What did you just say?”

Derek’s body went rigid. His voice dropped hard.

“Laurel is my wife. That room is our child’s nursery. Even if no one uses it, no one else gets to

decide its worth.”

“Don’t ever let me hear that from you again.”

But even as he said it, his mind replayed the scoring session.

And for the first time, doubt crept in.

Had he made a mistake?

He’d scored their baby’s nursery and handed it to Sloane’s dogs.

He’d thought a group vote meant fairness.

But he’d stopped thinking about Laurel’s feelings. He’d forgotten what that room meant.

The memories of preparing for their child in that space came flooding back.

The anticipation. The hope.

And now, looking at Sloane, all he felt was anger.

He shooed the yapping puppies toward the entryway and opened the door, ignoring Sloane’s

ear-streaked-face.

“Get out. You’re not welcome here-”

Two police officers stood in the doorway.

“Sloane Price, you’re under arrest for attempted murder. Please come with us.”