An Unbreakable Addiction

Mia hesitated, her face warming slightly. "I, uh...accidentally bit my lip just now," she said, though it was really Hunter's lip she had bitten.

"Here, take this," Summer said, handing her a tissue.

Mia took it, dabbing at her mouth, feeling a twinge of annoyance as she recalled Hunter's bold move outside the restroom.

Who did he think she was, someone he could just kiss on a whim, regardless of the consequences or who might see?

If it had been Jenna, he would never have behaved like that.

"Oh, by the way, Mia," Summer broke in, her tone cheerful, "Zac recommended me for this huge project, but it's more than I can handle alone. If you're free, would you lend me a hand?"

Mia set down the tissue and nodded. "Sure, I should have more free time now."

With Jenna now at HH Law Firm, Mia figured she would lose a good chunk of her case load.

"Wait, is HH Law Firm shutting down or something? You actually have time to say you'll be less busy?" Summer asked, surprised. She knew how swamped Mia was at the firm. Divorces seemed to come in endlessly. "No, Hunter bought HH Law Firm, and now Jenna's suddenly my new boss." Mia chuckled lightly. "Honestly, taking it easy might be good. After years of dealing with divorce cases, I'm worn out."

She had seen countless couples turn ugly during divorces. If she ever did divorce Hunter, she wanted to keep it civil. Tearing each other apart would just be too ugly.

"That fool Hunter is so wrapped around Jenna's finger, he's completely lost his sense of direction! It drives me crazy!" Summer fumed, fists clenched as if ready to go punch some sense into him. Mia laughed, trying to brush it off. "It's fine, honestly. I'll just treat it as a break. Besides, I can help you with your project and earn a little on the side. It'll be a lot easier than going to court." "You know, if you ever let your talents shine, my studio would've closed its doors ages ago!" Summer sighed. "You've sacrificed way too much for that jerk, Hunter."

"Maybe one day, if I decide to leave law, I'll come partner with you," Mia replied with a smile.

"Knowing you, even if you left law, you'd find something else you love and never have to worry about a thing." Summer had always felt Hunter held Mia back. Without him, Mia could have thrived in so many areas, but she had chosen Hunter and the most conventional path possible.

Hearing Summer's words, Mia glanced over at Zac with a grateful smile. "Actually, I owe it all to Zac. If he hadn't paid for those tutors, I wouldn't know half of what I do."

Back then, whenever home life got

rough, she would escape to Zac's place and join in whatever he was learning. Naturally competitive, she picked things up fast, so he had eventually hired tutors just for her. It's how she ended up with so many skills.

Zac smiled warmly. "You've got a real gift. You pick things up so quickly, unlike Carter, who could never get it right, no matter how much the tutors tried. I don't even know how many times they had to

set him straight."

His mind filled with memories of Mia. Back then, she was young, and her family didn't treat her well, so she often came to his home.

He had felt bad for her and invited her to join his lessons, hoping to distract her and lighten her spirits. But she picked things up faster than he ever expected. Whatever they learned, she mastered it and the tutors could not stop praising her.