Chapter 6

The hotel room was beige. That was the first thing Vivian noticed — beige walls, beige carpet, beige curtains. It was a standard king suite, precisely unremarkable, and it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Marcus carried the bags in while Vivian sat on the edge of the bed, Theo clutched to her chest. The baby hadn't woken, hadn't cried, hadn't done anything but sleep through the chaos of the night. She was grateful for that small mercy.

"Are you okay?" Marcus asked. He set the last bag down and crouched in front of her, his hands on her knees.

"I don't know." Vivian's voice came out thinner than she intended. "I don't know what I am right now."

"That's fair." He studied her face, his thumb brushing the swelling at her temple. "We should get you checked out. The cut, at least."

"It's fine. It's a scratch."

"Vivian —"

"I'm fine, Marcus." She pressed her forehead against his. "I'm just tired."

"Okay." He stayed there for a moment, breathing with her. "Okay."

Theo made a small sound in his sleep, and Vivian looked down at him. He was so small. So fragile. The white swaddle had shifted slightly, revealing one tiny hand, curled into a fist.

"We're going to fight this," Marcus said. "I know a lawyer. A really good one. We're going to get custody sorted. We're going to make sure Helena can't touch him."

"Matthew's good?"

"Matthew's the best. He's handled cases like this before." Marcus's jaw tightened. "And he's already got evidence for us. The locks. The invoices. The draft agreement."

"Her handwriting."

"It's all her handwriting." Marcus looked at her, and there was something raw in his eyes. "I can't believe I missed it. I can't believe I didn't see what she was doing."

"You weren't looking for it." Vivian reached up and touched his face. "You trusted her. That's not a crime."

"It's a mistake," Marcus said. "A big one."

"We all make mistakes." She looked down at Theo. "What — what happens next?"

"Matthew's meeting us in the morning to file for an emergency custody order. We'll present the evidence to a judge. We'll ask for a temporary protection order against Helena."

"Against your mother."

"Yeah." Marcus's voice was heavy. "Against my mother."

They were quiet for a long moment. Outside, the city hummed, muffled by the beige walls.

"Do you think you can sleep?" Marcus asked eventually.

"I don't know." Vivian looked down at Theo. "I can try, maybe."

"Good." Marcus helped her stand, his hands steadying her. He pulled back the covers on the bed, and she climbed in, still holding Theo, still clutching him to her chest.

"Are you sure you want to keep holding him?" Marcus asked softly. "You need to rest too."