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For her part, Magda’s arguments were passionate, and she said no matter what happened between the parents, the kids should take priority. The judge seemed to agree, but he also agreed with Mr. Martinez in that the children needed both parents. Joint custody was awarded.
Sandra Martinez stalked over toward Magda and I after the case was over.
“Now what do I get? Nothing?” she seethed.
“You’ll get your trust fund back,” I said easily, and Magda just remained silent, her eyes cast down.
“I’m missing out on thousands of dollars a month without primary custody,” she continued, her pretty face screwed up with anger. Magda just stared at her, shocked, but I wasn’t surprised.
“See you at the divorce mediation, Mrs. Martinez,” I said simply, and took Magda’s hand to drag her out of the courtroom.
We watched as Sandra got into a sports car with a man probably ten years her junior. She leaned over and kissed him before they peeled out of the parking lot.
“You were right all along,” Magda said slowly. “She was cheating on him.”
“She was,” I agree.
“She doesn’t deserve a dime,” Magda continued.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I said. “By the law, she’s owed her trust fund back, and we’re going to get it for her.”
“We lost the case,” she said, as if she couldn’t believe it. ”I’m sorry that I believed her. I’m sorry that we lost. I’m sorry that—”
“We didn’t lose,” I said simply. “We got her the money she was owed. You did your job. I’m recommending you for partner.”
“Roarke—” she started, but I just walked off toward my car. She followed me. ”Roarke, please, I need to talk to you.”
“We’ll talk tomorrow. I have other cases, you know?” I snapped, and Magda froze, biting at her bottom lip.
“But...” she trailed off.
“Maybe you should go talk to Mark about it,” I said harshly, unable to help myself as cold as I had wanted to appear. “He can talk to you all about lying and losing cases.”
I drove off while she stood there, staring at me. This was Magda’s first loss, but it wasn’t mine. I’d lost some cases before, when I was younger. The first one was always the hardest. Usually, I’d comfort a junior associate, spend some time assuring them they were still good lawyers.
But Magda had lied to me. Betrayed me. Just like Grace. Just like my second wife, Tiana. There was nothing more to say to her. She was an employee and I was her boss.
That was it.
MAGDA
Roarke was soangrywith me. I didn’t know how to get him to talk to me, but I had to. I would stake out his office if I had to. When I returned to the building, however, it was my father who greeted me at my office door, not Roarke.
“Hi, Dad,” I said under my breath since the rest of the office didn’t know that he was my father.
“Hey, Magpie,” he said easily, following me into my office when I unlocked the door. I don’t know why, but the pet name made me tear up. I guessed I had been through a lot recently. I needed to talk to him about Mark, about Roarke.... about everything.
“Dad, I need to talk to you—” I started, but he cut me off. People had been doing that to me a lot lately.
“I know about Mark Windham. How he disrespected you,” he said.
“You do?” I went pale. Had Mark told him how Roarke and I had been having sex in his office?
“I just wanted to let you know he won’t be a problem to you here much longer. I found out he’s been skimming money from the firm for a year,” my father said, and I sighed out a relieved breath.
I didn’t think my father would take it well that I’d been sleeping with his best friend, so I was grateful he didn’t know. At least not yet. I guessed I would have to tell him, if Roarke ever decided to forgive me.
I’d realized over the past few days what was important to me, and for once, it wasn’t my career—it was Roarke. I’d fallen in love with him, and I needed to find a way to tell him. On top of all the apologies I owed him.
