His Mistress Pushed His Pregnant Wife Down the Courthouse Steps — She Had No Idea the Woman's Brother Was the Most Feared Lawyer in the State

Chapter 06 - Vivian's Pattern

Lena found Vivian's first married man through a furniture showroom lawsuit.

The case itself was ordinary. A client had refused to pay for custom cabinetry, and Vivian's design studio sued for the balance.

Buried in the exhibits was an email address belonging to Grant Mercer, a commercial developer from Naperville. He had written to the showroom owner from Vivian's account and signed the message, *G.*

Lena traced the address.

Grant had divorced two years earlier.

His former wife, Meredith Sloan, had filed for a protective order six weeks before the divorce petition. The order was dismissed by Meredith herself twelve days later.

Daniel placed the docket printout in front of Chloe.

They were at his dining table, where she had arranged colored pencils beside a stack of student portfolios she was not supposed to grade. Bed rest had not stopped eleven sophomores from sending photographs of half-finished self-portraits.

"Protective order against Grant?" Chloe asked.

"Against Vivian."

Chloe looked up.

"The allegation?"

"Harassment. Repeated calls."

Daniel traced the docket line with one finger.

"Appearing at Meredith's workplace. Following her home from a school fundraiser."

"Children?"

"Two. Ten and thirteen at the time."

A construction crane moved beyond the windows, slow against the white sky.

"What happened after she dropped it?"

"The divorce settled within a week. Records are sealed."

"Meaning money."

"Probably."

Chloe touched the locket through her sweater.

The crack had snagged one loose thread near the collar. She pulled the fabric free.

"Find Meredith."

"Already did."

Daniel slid over a photograph printed from a professional website.

Meredith Sloan was forty-one, with short brown hair and the direct smile of someone who worked with people all day. She managed a dental practice in Geneva.

"Does she know you're calling?"

"Lena left a message."

"Use my name."

Daniel's gaze sharpened.

"Why?"

"Vivian attacked me, not you. Meredith may have spent two years telling herself it was safer to forget. A famous lawyer calling could feel like another man deciding what she should do."

Daniel considered this.

"Fair."

Chloe picked up her phone.

"I'll call."

"No."

She looked at him.

"You're on bed rest, under medication, and a defendant's prior conduct is now part of a criminal investigation."

"I'm also the person she may understand."

"Chloe."

"Record the call and supervise if you want."

"One call," Daniel said. "No promises."

Daniel leaned back.

His mouth twitched once.

"One call. No promises. No discussion of evidence beyond public facts."

Chloe dialed.

Meredith answered on the fourth ring.

"This is Meredith."

"Ms. Sloan, my name is Chloe Bennett."

Silence.

Chloe heard a keyboard tapping in the background.

"I know who you are," Meredith said.

"Then you probably know why I'm calling."

Another pause.

"I saw the video from outside the courthouse. The phone clip."

A bystander's recording had appeared online that morning. It began after Chloe landed and showed Daniel kneeling beside her while Vivian cried at the top of the steps.

Several comments called it a tragic accident.

"I'd like to ask about Vivian Cross," Chloe said.

"I have nothing to say."

"I understand."

"Do you?"

"Not completely."

Chloe watched Daniel write something on his legal pad, then turn it toward her.

*Don't push.*

She ignored him only slightly.

"I know she followed you. I know you requested protection and withdrew it. I don't need details today."

"Then what do you need?"

"To tell you she pushed me with both hands."

The keyboard stopped.

Meredith's breath came softly through the speaker.

"Are you and the baby all right?"

"We are now."

"Good."

Her voice had changed. Not warmer, exactly. Less guarded.

"Vivian never pushed me," Meredith said.

Chloe waited.

"She stood behind my car when I tried to leave work. She sent photographs of my children at soccer practice. She left a wineglass on my back porch with lipstick on it."

Daniel's pen went still.

"Did you report those things?"

"Some."

"What made you withdraw the order?"

Meredith laughed without humor.

"You said you didn't need details."

"I don't. Not unless you choose."

A door closed on Meredith's end.

"My ex-husband's family paid me," she said. "Enough to move, cover tuition, and never speak publicly about Vivian."

"Was there a written agreement?"

"Yes."

"Do you still have it?"

"I shouldn't be talking to you."

"No."

"This could drag my children back into it."

"Yes."

Chloe made herself say the truth cleanly.

"If you decide not to help, I won't blame you."

Daniel looked at her.

Meredith said nothing for several seconds.

Then, "Your brother left a message."

"He did."

"Is he as frightening as everyone says?"

"Only when he alphabetizes the spice rack."

Daniel drew a line through something on his pad.

Meredith gave a brief laugh.

"I need time."

"Take it."

"Don't call again."

"I won't."

"If I decide to talk, I'll contact your brother."

"All right."

The call ended.

Chloe kept the phone against her palm. Poppy shifted beneath the blanket, and she traced the small movement with two fingers.

A stranger had asked first whether the baby was safe.

Ethan had asked whether the accusation could become bigger.

That difference stayed with her.

Daniel closed his legal pad.

"You went beyond public facts."

"She did."

"You invited disclosure."

"I listened."

"That distinction keeps lawyers employed."

Chloe looked at Meredith's photograph.

"She knew why I was calling before I said Vivian's name."

---

Two days later, Daniel drove to Geneva alone.

Meredith had sent an address at six twelve that morning and one sentence: *Come after the kids leave for school.*

Her house stood on a quiet street lined with bare maples and ranch homes built in the 1970s. A ceramic rabbit sat beside the front step with one ear chipped.

Daniel parked at the curb.

He checked his recording equipment, the signed witness-consent form, and the slim folder containing public court records. Then he called Chloe.

She answered from the guest room.

"Are you there?"

"Outside."

"Don't scare her."

"I don't scare witnesses."

"You once made a cardiologist ask for a recess."

"He falsified a chart."

"Use your friendly face."

"This is my friendly face."

Chloe smiled despite herself.