The House-Husband Who Was Rex

his power, a name that made opponents tremble. She was a fiery young prosecutor from New York, a guest speaker on a panel. Her passion for just

He' d watched her from a distance, intrigued. He' d even had his then-assistant do a discreet background check. Olivia Hayes. Brilli

merger case. He found himself at a small, upscale bar after a grueling day. And

s away, observing. He h

der, her voice thick with emotion, lamenting a love lost

her eyes unfocused,

reak," she' d slurred, mistaking his

e found himself drawn to her vulnerability, a stark

lcohol and loneliness on her part, and a complex mix

e was mortified. He

gal shark. He was just Ethan Miller,

ld have ended ther

apologetic, suggesting coffee

. He found himself extend

ing relationship, she got a career-defining cas

ganize, to be a sounding board. He put his own burgeoning cas

bid to hold onto this fragile connection. He told her he wou

it wasn't entirely about love for her. It was partl

old no one else the full truth. Rex vanished. Ethan Miller, stay-at-home husband,

was on her cases, or on calls with colleagues, or, increasingly,

rsations about their lives, their feeling

f her and Julian. Laughing, kissing, looking deeply in love. On the back of one, in her handwriti

ed. Soulmate. A word sh

reason for her drunken despair the night they met. Julian had just broken up with her,

The safe harbor. The ma

Her spending hours on the phone advising Julian on his "artistic struggles," while Ethan' s own attempts at conve

n had a minor cold. Olivia had rushed to Julian' s apartment with soup and remedies, spend

e' d looked in the mirror one day and hadn' t recognized the man staring back. The fire

being invisible. Tire

leave. He would reclaim himse

rations, reconnecting with Sa

phone, but in person. He' d called Olivia, sounding distressed. He was in New

itchen when Julian arri

mposed or coolly distant with Ethan, lit

ee you!" she' d exclaimed, her

, embraced her. "Olivia, darling, you

Ethan. Olivia' s told me... so little about

ed, his express

t, clauses he hadn' t understood, an orchestra

ned, complet

ainst it. "Olivia, this isn't your area. It' s a civil matter, a messy one. Stick to cri

ulian. I can' t say no. I' ll reassign so

analyzed the snippets of the contract Julian had shown. It was a standard performance agreement, slightly aggressive on the orchestra' s side,

cern as Julian dramatically described his "artistic suffering" at the hands of "phili

t heard directed a

to his office, continuing to pack the few remaining personal ite