Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 26

Jordan Smith’s face was set in stone, icy and unreadable.

He was seriously unimpressed with Camila Davis’s attitude, ready to say something else to her.

But Camila didn’t even glance back. She just scooped Lillian up and headed straight upstairs, not giving him a chance.

Jordan stood there, heat simmering under his ribs. It took him a long moment to let out a slow, shaky breath.

He’d been way too lenient with Camila lately. That’s probably why she kept pulling the same stunts—throwing tantrums, mouthing off at him, even making things difficult for Sandra at work. And now, she was turning her claws on Daniel too.

How had he never noticed how petty she could be?

Jordan clenched his jaw, anger prickling.

Daniel seemed to pick up on the shift in the air. He tugged gently at Jordan’s hand, looking up with big, apologetic eyes. “Uncle Jordan, I’m sorry. I made Camila mad, and now she doesn’t like me. I won’t come over to play with Lillian anymore…”

His voice trembled, and he looked about as pitiful as a puppy in the rain. “Please don’t be mad at me. And… don’t hate me, okay? I really like you! And if Mom finds out, she’ll be sad, too. She told me before we came to be polite to Camila and to take care of Lillian, but I messed up…”

Jordan’s heart softened. He couldn’t stay angry at a kid.

He knelt down, ruffling Daniel’s hair. “Hey, don’t worry. I don’t hate you. I’m glad you’re here, Daniel. I know you’d never hurt Lillian on purpose. I’ll talk to your mom later, so she won’t be upset. And next time, I’ll make sure you and Lillian get to play together, just the two of you. For now, let’s go pick up your mom, alright? We’ve got your new house to check out today, and then we’re all going to dinner.”

Daniel sniffled and wiped his eyes, managing a brave little nod. “Okay! I knew you were the best, Uncle Jordan!”

Jordan grinned, grabbed his coat, and the two of them headed out.

Daniel let Jordan lead him by the hand, but as they stepped outside, Daniel glanced slyly up at the second floor. A sneaky, triumphant smile crept onto his face.

Yes! Mission accomplished.

He’d totally messed with that little goofball Lillian, and got Camila all riled up, too. Mom was definitely going to be proud when he got home.

What to ask for as a reward? Maybe that new Transformer toy? Or a trip to the amusement park…

If Jordan had looked down at that moment, he would’ve seen the unmistakable gleam of mischief in Daniel’s eyes.

She tucked Lillian into bed, then grabbed her laptop. There were two things she needed to do.

First up: draft the divorce agreement with Jordan.

But none of the templates she found online seemed right for their situation. After browsing for a while, she messaged her best friend: “Hey, Sarah, do you know any good lawyers? Can you help me get a sample divorce agreement?”

Sarah replied almost instantly: “Sure, no problem! But… you’re not just going to use a template, are you? That would be letting Jordan off way too easy!”

Camila hesitated. When she’d married Jordan years ago, she’d rushed in headfirst and never imagined things would end like this. She didn’t really know how any of this worked.

She wrote back, “What kind of things should I ask for? How do I add extra terms?”

Sarah sent a voice message: “Girl, Jordan’s loaded, and he’s the one at fault here! You and Lillian deserve something for all the crap he’s put you through. If you ask me, you should go for a big settlement—ten million, twenty million, whatever. Don’t be shy!”

Sarah’s voice softened. “You know what? Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to my lawyer friends and we’ll come up with something solid. Once we’ve got a draft, I’ll send it to you to look over. You don’t need to stress about a thing—just know I’ve got your back, and I won’t let you get shortchanged.”