Page 62 of Sinner's Binding
“I’m so sorry they came here and caused such a scene. I should’ve stayed in a hotel where they wouldn’t find me. They guessed I came here, even though I didn’t tell where I was headed,” Mom muttered.
“Mom, it’s not your fault. And a hotel isn’t the place for you to stay. Sure, a night or two would be okay, but more than that is too much. You have no privacy, and it’s not homey,” I protested.
“But it would keep them away from your home. He’ll be back. Savar doesn’t like to be embarrassed or to lose.” I heard the edge of wariness in her voice.
“You won’t be alone. That’s been handled,” Reign informed her.
“What do you mean, it’s been handled? By whom? How?” she asked.
“You’re looking at two of them. Chad and I are splitting our time between you and your daughter. Surely, you didn’t think you’d be left without someone to watch over you,” Poe answered.
Before Mom could argue, Reign interjected.
“Kathlyn, I do the same for Stasia. I’d do no less for you. And in this instance, arguing won’t do any good. I’m going to play the overbearing asshole and insist. Plus, we have something more pressing to figure out.”
“Oh, really, what would that be, young man?” Mom asked, raising her eyebrow.
“I need to know what’s in the envelope Sam handed Stasia before he left.”
His announcement had the desired effect of stopping my mom from arguing that she didn't need anyone to watch over her and of revealing what the hell was in the envelope. I brought it out from under my thigh, where I had slid it when we sat. I unsealed the flap and pulled out a packet of papers. The first one was a handwritten letter. I read it aloud because I knew everyone wanted to know what it said.
Stasia,
I didn’t want this to have to be this way, but you and I had entered into a relationship. Agreements were made, and you need to uphold them. I know you’re confused right now, but Reign Caldwell isn’t the right man for you. He’s got youbrainwashed, or maybe he’s holding something over your head. Whatever it is, I will see you free of him.
You have forty-eight hours to break off all contact with him and return to me. If you don’t, then I’ll have no choice but to file this, and we’ll do it the hard way. Please, don’t make me do that. I await your call.
Love, Sameer.
A deep growl vibrated in Reign’s chest. I flipped to the next page. It was a packet. As I read it silently, rage mingled with a dash of fear.
“What does it say,Jaanu?” Reign asked.
“It’s a breach of contract. It seems Sam is going to sue me for breach of contract because I supposedly agreed to marry him. There’s a ton of legal shit in there, but that’s the bottom line. The crazy bastard says we were days away from getting engaged when you interfered. He lists my entire family as witnesses to the fact.”
“Wait, you can sue someone if they call off an engagement or wedding?” Chad asked.
“Well, according to this, you can. I don’t know if it’s enforceable, but I know someone who will,” Reign snarled.
He took out his phone, tapped it a few times, then put it to his ear. Moments later, he spoke.
“Carver, hey, sorry for disturbing you at home, but I’ve got a legal question. I know your specialty is copyright law regarding music rights, but I need to know. Can someone sue you for breach of contract if they say there was an understanding that a couple was engaged, about to be engaged, or even was about to marry?”
Reign listened, and there were sounds back and forth for a good two or three minutes. I wanted to scream as my tension mounted, but I held back. When he hung up, he met my gaze.
“Carver said to send over screenshots or copies of the pages. He’ll look it over. He knows someone who can help with this. It’s obscure, as far as he recalls, but there may be precedent. If we can get it to him tonight, that would be best. We can’t afford to sit back and wait for Sam to file.”
Dread washed through me. It took everything I had to stand and take it to my in-home office, where I scanned it, then sent it to Carver. Between Dad’s and Sam’s drama, they cast a serious pall over the rest of the evening. We tried to shake it off, though. What the hell had I gotten myself into? And why did I ever say yes to coffee?
When Mom and I tried to clean up the mess from dinner, we were ushered to the living room to relax while the three guys cleaned up.
“Wow, I don’t recall having a man do that even before I met your dad. If Reign is trying to gain points with me, that’s the way to do it.”
I laughed. “He’s not. He does it anytime we cook. It struck me the first couple of times he did it. Can you imagine Rahul, Arish, Dad, or Harish cooking, washing dishes, or tidying up?” I snorted.
She shook her head and sighed. “No, and I feel terrible that I’m partly responsible for them being that way. God, if I could go back.”
I took her hand in mine. “You can’t place that guilt on your shoulders. Everyone sees twenty-twenty when they look back. I should’ve never agreed to have coffee with Sam, but I did.”
