She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife (Natasha and Chase) novel Chapter 89

(Natasha)

I pick my moment carefully.

Sunday morning, after Lily's early feed, before Sonia and Eleanor are moving about.

The other night in the nursery, when they came back from Sonia’s mother’s beach house, made it clear that we can’t continue this way.

Chase is in the kitchen with coffee, looking like a man who hasn't fully committed to the day yet.

It’s just the two of us and the pale morning light coming through the window.

I have notes.

Not physical notes, I'm not going to stand here and make it look like a business proposal, but the mental kind, organized and ordered, every point considered from multiple angles.

I am calm. I am reasonable. I am prepared.

"I want to talk about the divorce," I say.

He looks up from his coffee.

Something shifts in his expression. A subtle tightening, like a door swinging quietly closed, but he says nothing, so I continue.

"I'm not looking for a fight," I tell him.

"I want to find something workable. Something that gives Lily stability and protects us both legally. The current situation isn't sustainable and we both know it."

I lay it out. Clearly, without drama, the way I'd convince a difficult client.

Shared custody, properly structured. Legal clarity for both of us on when we’d have her.

A framework that means Lily has two parents who function rather than two people circling each other indefinitely in the same house.

I even acknowledge Sonia.

Calmly, neutrally, because she is part of the reality of this situation and pretending otherwise helps nobody.

Chase listens to the whole thing.

It gives me hope for a peaceful agreement. Surely he must see that this is what’s best for everyone.

He doesn't interrupt.

He doesn't look away.

He sits with his coffee and listens with focused attention.

When I finish, the kitchen is very quiet.

"The terms haven't changed," he says.

I stare at him.

“What do you mean?”

"Two visits a week. Supervised. Unless you’re living here."

His voice is completely devoid of emotion.

"If you want to renegotiate custody, you’ll have to do it through the courts. You know that’s going to take time."

It takes me a minute to calm my frantic thoughts. I wasn’t expecting this at all.

"Chase, you can’t be-"

"And since you're so eager to formalize things," he says, standing up and setting his cup in the sink.

"Unless you plan on staying permanently, I'd like you out of the house today. I'll have your things sent to the townhouse. Please make a decision before noon."

He leaves the room.

I stand in the kitchen for a full thirty seconds, not moving.

Then I sit down very carefully in the nearest chair, because my legs have made it clear they're not interested in supporting my weight right now.

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