Truths Don’t Shake — People Do
Nina Davis did not rattle easily.
She’d built her law firm from scratch. She’d stared down seasoned attorneys twice her age and walked out victorious. She knew how to control a room.
But as Kim sat across from her in that leather chair, legs crossed like she owned the place, Nina felt something unfamiliar…
Uncertainty.
“And you’re just now telling him?” Nina asked calmly, folding her hands on her desk.
Kim shrugged. “Timing is everything.”
Nina studied her. “Or manipulation is.”
Kim’s smile tightened.
“He doesn’t know about the child,” Kim continued. “But he will. And when he does? He’ll do the right thing. Marcus always does.”
There it was.
Not love.
Strategy.
Nina stood. “This meeting is over. If you actually require legal counsel, my assistant can refer you elsewhere. But if you’re here to intimidate me, I promise you—wrong courtroom.”
Kim rose slowly. “You seem confident.”
“I am.”
Kim leaned in just slightly. “Confidence changes when babies are involved.”
And just like that, she walked out.
That night, Nina didn’t sit on the information.
She called Marcus.
“Can you come over?”
His voice softened immediately. “I’m on my way.”
When he arrived, he knew something was off. Nina wasn’t dramatic. She wasn’t reactive. But she was quiet in a way that meant something mattered.
They sat on her couch. No TV. No distractions.
“Kim came to my office today,” Nina said evenly.
Marcus froze.
“She what?”
“She requested me specifically.”
His jaw tightened. “For what?”
Nina held his gaze. “To tell me she has your child.”
Silence.
Real silence.
The kind that hums in your ears.
Marcus blinked once. Twice. Then shook his head slowly. “No. No, that doesn’t make sense.”
“Did she ever tell you she was pregnant?”
“Never.” His voice cracked with confusion. “When we ended things, we hadn’t even spoken in months. Nina… I would never—”
She reached for his hand before he could spiral.
“I’m not accusing you.”
His shoulders dropped slightly.
“But we need the truth.”
Marcus exhaled, running a hand over his face. “I don’t want to have kids. I’ve never wanted to. You know that. But if there’s a child out there… if that’s real… I wouldn’t ignore it.”
And that right there? That’s why Nina loved him.
Integrity wasn’t loud with Marcus. It was steady.
She scooted closer. “We’ll handle this together.”
Together.
The word settled something in him.
He pulled her into his chest, holding her tighter than usual. “I don’t want this messing up what we have.”
“It won’t,” she said softly. “Unless we let secrets do it.”
He kissed her forehead first.
Then her lips.
Slow. Intentional. A reassurance more than desire but it grew into both. The tension of the day melted into closeness, into laughter when he whispered, “You really told her wrong courtroom?”
Nina smirked. “I bill by the hour. She can’t afford me.”
He laughed, and for a moment, it felt like them again.
Solid.
Unbreakable.
But Kim wasn’t done.
Two days later, Marcus received an envelope at work.
No return address.
Inside?
A photo.
Kim. Holding a toddler.
On the back, written in neat handwriting:
“Her name is Amara. She’s three.”
Marcus’s hands trembled.
Three years.
Three years meant…
The timeline overlapped.
His heart pounded so hard he had to sit down.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
He answered.
Kim’s voice came through sweet as syrup.
“I figured visuals would help.”
Marcus swallowed. “If this is some kind of game—”
“It’s not,” she interrupted. “You should probably check the date on that photo.”
Click.
The call ended.
Marcus flipped the photo over again.
Stamped in the corner was last week’s date.
This was recent.
This was real.
Or at least… it looked real.
That evening, Nina was preparing closing arguments for a major case when her office phone rang.
Her assistant sounded shaken.
“There’s… there’s someone here with a child asking for you.”
Nina stood slowly.
“Who?”
A pause.
“…Kim.”
And then—
From down the hallway—
A little girl’s voice.
“Mommy, is that him?”
Nina’s breath caught.
Him?
Marcus wasn’t even there.
So who was the child talking about?
Nina stepped into the lobby—
And froze.
Marcus was standing there.
Holding the exact same photo in his hand.
And the little girl…
Was staring directly at him.
To Be Continued in Part Three….
Simply Reesi 