Chapter 1

The first case on Holly Stanwick's docket after she became a judge was the divorce between her husband and his childhood sweetheart. Holly double-checked the file's cover sheet when she received it. "Maeve, is the defendant's information correct? Is his name really Shane Lockwood?" Maeve Green, the assistant judge, smiled. "Ms. Stanwick, that's the CEO of Lockwood Corp in Havenport, Shane Lockwood. I might slip up on other files, but not this one!" She searched for "Shane Lockwood" on Google on her phone and shoved the brutal truth in front of Holly. The face in the photos matched that of Holly's husband exactly. She froze, feeling as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her. Stella Kennedy, the court clerk, added, "That's right, Ms. Stanwick. You're new here, so you might not know—Shane and his childhood sweetheart, Tess Lindell, have been on and off for about eight years. This is the first time it has reached court, and the public gallery is fully booked!" Hearing that, Holly nearly lost her footing, and the file slid from her fingertips onto the desk. Maeve asked curiously, "Ms. Stanwick, do you know Shane?" She knew him all too well. She had been married to Shane for six years, and they had a son together. The man who'd shared her bed for six years was Lockwood Corp's CEO and somebody else's husband. It was absurd. Holly kept her face blank and shook her head. "I just got to Havenport. I hardly know anyone." After the wedding, she had quit her job as a top attorney in Auswinton. For the next three years, she devoted herself entirely to raising her son, Aaron Lockwood. This year, she'd worked hard to land a judgeship in Havenport, hoping to finally end their long-distance life. She'd planned to surprise Shane with the news tonight. But fate beat her to it. From the bench, Holly finally got a clear look at Tess. Tess took off her sunglasses with practiced grace. Dressed in designer from head to toe, she sat down and tapped the table with her slender fingers. Holly, on the other hand, was gaunt from raising Aaron alone. She hadn't bought any new clothes in three years to save money, and her callused fingers snagged on the only silk nightgown she owned. When the hearing opened, Shane didn't show up. He sent his lawyer, Caleb Baker, to appear on his behalf. The plaintiff, Tess, kept her face icy and tossed her sunglasses onto the table. "Why isn't Shane here? I want a divorce!" Caleb said apologetically, "Mr. Lockwood is in an international meeting and can't step away. He said the Blue Heart diamond from the Ebis Auction, which is worth a billion, has already been delivered to the villa. He'll be home tonight to keep you company." Tess snorted and shouted up at the bench, "I want the divorce today! I'm done!" Holly kept her voice professional. "Plaintiff, list your grounds for divorce. The court will consider them." Arms crossed, Tess complained, "He gives me the silent treatment. He only spent half the year by my side. And sometimes, when I wake up, he's already gone! "He stands me up, too. I didn't use the black card for an entire month, and he didn't even notice! "And last month in Calivale, I said my stomach hurt, and he didn't even take the red-eye to make me chicken soup! "I called while he was in a meeting, and he completely missed that I wanted the Blue Heart diamond. Love that shows up late isn't worth a dime!" Her supposed grievances sounded more like a brag. The courtroom fell silent. Holly had never imagined her cold, workaholic husband had that kind of soft side. She'd thought Shane was just a regular office worker in Havenport. She even felt sorry for how hard he worked and used her own savings to pay for Aaron's formula. She had pinched pennies like a fool while dreaming about their future. How ridiculous she must have looked to him! Her eyes stung as a tear fell onto the case file, blurring the name "Shane Lockwood". Caleb insisted on evidence against the divorce, and the hearing stalled. Just then, Shane called. Caleb exhaled in relief and put the call on speaker. The familiar voice filled the courtroom through the phone. "Hey, honey. I was wrong, okay? I bought you another island. How about we spend a month there in a couple of days? "I don't want a divorce. It took me forever to marry you. If you leave me, you might as well kill me!" At last, Tess broke into a laugh. "Silly, I've got you on speaker. Everyone heard that. No take-backs!" Hearing Shane spill those sweet words burned like acid through Holly's chest. The hearing wrapped up in a hurry. Holly had to organize the paperwork for Shane and Tess. Just then, her phone chimed with a Havenport news alert. "Shane Lockwood and his wife were caught on a sweet date at the Golden Bay Club, silencing the rumors of their divorce." The photo showed them wrapped in each other's arms. Holly's eyes dimmed as she flagged down a cab to the Golden Bay Club. On the ride over, moments with Shane flickered through her mind. They had met at a business gala, where she had helped him solve a tricky case. She had expected never to cross paths with him again, but Shane pursued her hard, and they fell fast. Maybe because she had lost her father young and craved a happy family, she said yes the moment he proposed. Shane had knelt before her mother, Hayley Stanwick, and vowed to love Holly for life. For the first year of marriage, Holly felt cherished. Shane peeled her shrimp at every meal and never forgot her preferences. On Valentine's Day, he surrounded her with a sea of flowers and placed on her finger a ring he had personally designed. On her birthday, he turned over his assets to her. She even cried when she saw one million dollars in the account. What moved her most was when he chose to get a vasectomy. Kissing her, he had said, "Holly, I love you and respect you. We'll have a child when you're ready." But in the second year, she still became pregnant unexpectedly, and Shane transferred to Havenport. That was when everything began to go downhill. Laughter drifted from a slightly ajar private room. "Shane, you really have it all. You left your wife and kid behind in Auswinton while dating your childhood sweetheart in Havenport. We single guys are jealous." Seated at the head table, Shane snorted. "If you're so jealous, I'll let you play dad for a day." "No way! If your grandpa finds out your son calls me dad, he'll skin me alive! So, when are you going to tell Tess?" Shane drew on his cigarette. "After our vacation next month. Tess and I go way back. She can't have kids because she saved me back then, so I owe her a child. She'll love Aaron." "What about the one in Auswinton? She's a lawyer, isn't she? Can you handle her?" Smoke curled around Shane, hiding his expression. His light, careless laugh answered everything. "So what if she's a lawyer? Her mother's still alive. With the right pressure, Holly will hand over Aaron." His friend nodded. "True. If you hadn't been trying to spite Tess back then, that woman never would've lucked into it. She should really count her blessings." Holly's blood went cold. It felt like her chest had been torn open and left bleeding. So, all that tenderness had been a con. She and Aaron were chips he'd tossed on the table in a petty feud. She had no idea how she made it out of the Golden Bay Club. As soon as she stepped outside, a call came in from her senior, Wren Jenkins, in Caligold. "Holly, how's the judgeship treating you? Hard work and low pay, right? Be honest. Come to Caligold. Our firm is about to go public, and I can bring you in as a partner." She didn't hesitate this time. "Alright. I'll see you in Caligold in ten days."