Page 34 of First in Line

Panicked, I slip the papers out of the envelope and start shuffling through them. “Everything is the same,” he reassures me. “The only difference is you get ten million from me.”

My jaw hangs loose as I stare up at him. “What?”

“One for every year we were married.”

“Jax, I told you, I don’t want your money.”

“It’s my condition.”

I scowl at him. “Your condition was meeting Nathan.”

“I did, and he’s boring as fuck. So this is the new one.”

“You can’t keep changing the conditions.”

“It’s the last one. I signed those, so all you have to do is sign them and have your lawyer file everything.”

The papers weigh a ton in my hands. I don’t want to accept his terms. It feels like blood money, and I don’t like it. Though I could find a way to not have it anymore. So much good can be done with ten million dollars.

“Oh, there are two catches,” Jackson remembers.Of course…

“What?”

“You can’t give it to charity. I know how your mind works, so I know you’re already thinking of ways to get rid of it.”

“Second catch?”

“You need to sign a prenup before you marry anyone else.”

I sigh, tired of his schemes. “Even divorced, you’ll interfere with my relationship with Nathan.”

“It’s your money. Not his.”

“No, it’syourmoney.”

“Ours. You made an investment, remember? This is your return on it.”

“From two thousand to ten million in under fifteen years… That’s one hell of a passive investment.”

The corner of his lips rises, offering me a crooked smile. “You were far from passive.” He must sense my reluctance because he adds, “You could take this to court, but I don’t think a single judge in this country would agree to your terms. In fact, they might demand that I give you far more than ten million.”

I look at the documents, still determined to read them thoroughly once I get home. “I don’t have a choice, do I?” I ask, feeling defeated.

“Just take the money, Evie. If you’re going to have a boring life, at least make it a comfortable one. With an infinity pool.”

“I’ll talk about it with Nathan.”

“This has nothing to do with him. It’s about us. About a deal we made. He doesn’t need to get involved in any of it.”

I’m not sure what I can answer, and Nathan arrives with his car before I find something to say. So, after one last look at the man who will soon become my ex-husband, I quickly make my way down the few steps and rush into the car.

I don’t want to talk and debrief during the hour-long drive back to Nathan’s place, so I lean into the window and close my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

It’s only once we are in bed later that night that Nathan brings up the big question. “So, did he sign them?”

“Kind of.”

“Good. It was all worth it then, right?”