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Unbelievable.”
    “Sally left.” He said the two words without emotion or remorse.
    “Oh, God.” Katy looked away to hide her horror. “So now you want to come back, is that it?”
    He walked across the room and put his hands on her shoulders. “Kate, it was just a blip. A minor diversion. I needed to release some stress and Sally was there for me when you werebusy working. It never changed how I felt about our family. I want us back together. For the kids.”
    Katy shuddered and wriggled out of his grasp. “I’ve heard this all before. You apologize. You promise it won’t happen again. Then you’re in bed with the next young intern who catches your eye. I won’t go through it again. That was supposed to be your takeaway message when I filed the divorce petition.”
    “The message I got was that you were stressed because of that big corporate espionage trial and you took it out on me by filing the petition. But I understand and I’m willing to forgive you. We all get stressed sometimes.”
    Katy closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. Stay cool. Stay calm. He’s baiting you. Don’t give him the satisfaction of a response.
    “I have an important hearing at ten o’clock and I have to go.” She picked up her briefcase and squeezed the handle so tight her knuckles turned white. “If you don’t take the kids now, they’ll be late.”
    He shrugged.
    “You are here to take the kids to school, aren’t you? It’s your day to take them.” She closed her eyes, dreading his response.
    Steven shook his head. “I’m in surgery this morning. I just came by to let you know that since Sally is gone—she left last night—I’ll be visiting more often to see the kids…and you.”
    Katy’s eyes widened. “She only left last night and you’re already trying to come back? You’ve sunk to a new low.” Bile rose in her stomach as she contemplated the upcoming weeks of trying to fend off Steven’s attempts to insinuate himself into her life.
    She pushed past him, calling for Melissa and Justin. She had just enough time to get them to school, but it would be touch and go with the examination for discovery.
    Steven gave her ponytail a quick, casual tug as she stalked away, winking when she glared over her shoulder.
    “Later, Kate.”
    Katy shuddered. His assault had only begun.
     
     
    Martha Saunders, divorced and now unemployed, smiled when Katy introduced herself. In her faded black suit, white blouse, sensible pumps and tidy, bleached blonde bob, Martha resembled a middle-aged accountant and not a thirty-three year old laboratory technician. But being with Steven had taught Katy never to judge by appearance alone. Who would have known her mature, handsome, attentive surgeon would turn out to be a distant, pathologically self-absorbed, financially irresponsible philanderer?
    “I’m sorry our meeting has to be so brief, but I only got your file yesterday and this morning I had an unexpected delay.” Katy motioned for her new client to sit down. She hated the stuffy, windowless counsel rooms in the Vancouver Law Courts, but they were private and Steven’s untimely visit meant they didn’t have time for the comprehensive meeting she had originally planned to have at her office.
    Katy took her seat and pulled out her file, skimming through the papers Martha’s previous solicitor had provided. “This looks like a pretty clear case of wrongful dismissal. I’ve read all your outstanding performance reviews, employee awards and the statements from your colleagues about your dedication to the company. As I understand it, the CEO, Darkon Steele, just called you into the office one day, fired you and had a security guard march you out with your box of belongings. Is that right?”
    Martha pulled a tissue from her purse and dabbed behind her gold-rimmed glasses. “Not quite. He fired me after I tried to report the company to the regulators.”
    Katy raised an eyebrow. “Whistle-blowing? What did you allege