Chapter 13

Maggie and Jack spent the morning in Eric's nursery. Both of them were quite surprised by the baby's reaction when he locked his eyes with Maggie's. He wanted to jump from Jack's embrace to get to Maggie, he giggled and smiled and tried to reach her with his small hands.

 But Maggie never reached for him, she couldn't. Her heart clenched, and she swallowed hard. Her eyes filled with tears. For some reason, she felt trapped, like a bird in a cage. Her discomfort was evident on her face, and as soon as Jack noticed it, he turned the baby towards himself.

 "New nanny is starting next week. She will be spending whole days here, and you won't have any obligations concerning Eric." Jack said.

 Maggie nodded her head. It's not like she didn't like babies, no. She always thought they all were cute. She just never had any experience with them and was scared of hurting them unintentionally.

 "Speaking of obligations, I'm still waiting for you to explain why I am here exactly…" she started hesitantly.

 "I think I've already explained, you are my legal wife, and I need you to act the role for a little while." He was speaking calmly, and he sounded rational, opposite of what he appeared the last time, and that gave Maggie hope that there is a chance that their situation just might be untangled without unnecessary complications.

 "I honestly think that it would be less painful for all of us if we just signed the divorce papers and went our separate ways." She almost whispered. Jack sighed loudly, but he did not look angry.

 "You will understand better in time." Jack laid the baby back in the crib and moved the toy that hanged above his head so it would circle and entertain him. He turned to Maggie and motioned his hand towards the door, slightly nodding his head. She understood it and headed out.

Once they were out in the hallway, Jack took the lead, and Maggie followed him to the room on the main floor that was his home office. He sat behind the massive desk, and after he motioned his hand, she took a seat on the chair in front of him. She felt like a convict sitting like this, like an innocent one, the one that never did anything wrong yet was at a trial.

 "As I said once before, I am a very wealthy and influential man. With years I became very good at keeping my life private and out of the reach of the press and paparazzi. I gave a couple of interviews with business magazines regarding my company and success in my field, but I have avoided everything else. You wouldn't believe what they would give to get some dirt on me…

 When they find out that I have a son, and they will at one point, because I have no intention of hiding him, I need to be able to say that he has a mother. Because if I don't, they could sniff out the truth, and that I cannot afford." He made a short pause taking a deep breath, and then continued, "I plan to introduce you as my wife and the mother of my child to my family and business associates. We will get our stories straight, and we will serve it to everyone. After I don't know, six months to a year, we could start to live separately or something, we will figure it out along the way… and then we will officially divorce. Eric will stay here, with me, and you can go back to your life in Charleston or whatever you want." After another pause, Jack added: "I understand that we don't see eye to eye in this matter, but you have to know that I will do everything to protect my son and my business. I have worked for a decade to get the company where it is now, and I have no intention of risking it." He was serious and stern, and the look in his eyes gave Maggie chills. There was no going around what he had stuck in his head. There was no hope of changing his mind or leaving to where she was and forgetting all of this ever happened like she hopped before she came into this office with him.

"In that case, you will have to play your part too," she announced, and it earned her a confused look from Jack, "My mother. I didn't tell her the truth. So you will have to act like a lovesick puppy in front of her, or she will never buy what you're trying to sell here."

"That's understandable."

"Also, I would like to have her near me as soon as possible. I hope that won't be a problem for you since you already said that you have your connections and strings…" Jack nodded. She was stating her requests, and it was something he expected.

"Anything else?" and Maggie just shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't think of anything else that she wanted right now except having her mother moved into a hospital in Chicago and having some peace.

"My friend and layer are preparing an NDA for you to sign, and for the rest, I thought about making a contract for both of us to sign, but I don't think it's necessary to go that far. We are both adults, and I believe we can have a verbal agreement about all the possible questions in the future."

"You trust me that much?" she asked with her brows raised.

"I guess I do," Jack answered after he thought about it for a while, and his answer warmed Maggie's heart. "I don't know why, but I trust you. We both have something to gain and something to lose from this. Even if you hate me that much to want to ruin this for me, you would never risk your mother's recovery treatment." Maggie had to give it to him, he did estimate her pretty well.

"You are right about that. I would never risk my mother. But the thing is, I don't trust you." Her serious facial expression and the words she said felt like a bucket of icy cold water was poured on him. Jack didn't answer. He didn't know what to say to this. But somewhere deep inside him, an urge to change her mind about him appeared, and he decided right there and then to do everything that's in his power to change how she sees him.

"Who else knows the truth?"

"Robert. He's my layer and my best friend. He was there when the whole ordeal with Jennifer happened. He must've said something to his wife Emma because he keeps nothing from her. And Marry, my old nanny since she spends a lot of time here helping with Eric." Jack explained.

"Is there anything else I should know?"

 "Not right now." Maggie stood up, wanting to leave, and Jack felt annoyed by her trying to deprive him of her presence. Even though the atmosphere around them wasn't as tense as before, she looked like she wasn't enjoying his company, as much he enjoyed hers.

 Jack opened one of the drawers and pulled out a file from it.

 "Here is everything my PI got on Jennifer, or Julia as you knew her. If you want to take a look…"

 Maggie took it and went straight to her room. Should she read the file? Should she know anything about the girl she once knew as her friend, that did this to her? Should she understand her reasons and thus find it in her heart to don't blame her?

 Baby's crying startled her for a second, but she soon heard the door of the nursery open and close, so she knew that Jack is going to take care of Eric.

Taking a deep breath, Maggie opened the file and started reading police reports and newspaper clips, and she stayed in her room for the rest of the day doing so and thinking about Julia's life, how messed up it was and what she had to go through. And just as she suspected, now she couldn't think that badly of her. No matter what she did.