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Sarah exhales audibly.
"Alright, if you're sure. Anything else you want to drop on me?"
"Yeah," I say, swallowing hard. "There's this lawyer, Dennis. He's helping me with the case, and I think I'm falling for him."
Sarah chuckles.
"Well, well… that's quick but also kinda cute. Just be careful, okay?"
"I will," I assure her.
"Good, because you really have a type, you know?" Sarah quips.
"A type? What do you mean?" I ask, intrigued.
"You like guys who either fight for the law or blatantly disobey it," she points out, laughing.
Despite the gravity of everything, I find myself laughing too.
"You're right, you’re right. And thanks for making me laugh, Sarah."
"Anytime, girl. You need all the smiles you can get. Look, I’m sorry, but I really need to go. You know how being a nurse is exhaustive, and someone is already calling for me. Good luck for tomorrow, okay?"
"Thanks, Sarah. For everything!"
"Always!”
We hang up, and I'm left feeling a little lighter. The path ahead is complicated and fraught with emotional landmines, but at least I'm not walking it alone.
And as the evening sets in, casting long shadows across the house, my eyes drift to the guest room where Dennis and I slept. I can still sense him there, like an invisible presence that's both comforting and disquieting.
Taking a deep breath, I decide to take a small risk. My fingers hover over my phone screen before I finally tap out a message to Dennis:
"Good night. See you in court tomorrow."
I hit send and then immediately start second-guessing myself. Was it too forward? Too personal? My thoughts swirl in a mixture of hope and anxiety.
After what feels like an eternity but is probably just a few minutes, my phone buzzes. It's a message from Dennis.
"Good night, Lauren. Don't worry about tomorrow; we've got this."
A thrill courses through me, igniting a tiny flame of hope. For the first time in a long while, I feel like things might actually work out for me.
It's a fragile feeling, like a soap bubble floating in the air, beautiful but so easy to pop.
Still, I hold onto it as I prepare for bed. The sheets feel a bit less cold, a bit less lonely. I drift into sleep, my thoughts weaving dreams of the possibilities ahead—of a life without Tom's looming shadow, of a future where Dennis is more than just my lawyer.
I even let myself imagine us together, perhaps even with kids, living a life so different from the nightmare I'm waking from.
With those thoughts, I finally fall asleep, dreaming of a future yet unwritten but suddenly seeming within reach.
Chapter 6 - Dennis
I arrive at the courtroom early, the sun barely casting its first rays over the cityscape. My leather case contains briefs, affidavits, and other legal documents. It's a fortress of facts and evidence built to protect Lauren, and I can't afford any stone to be out of place.
But this isn't just another case; it's personal, and the walls between my professional and personal feelings have never been so thin.
I spot Lauren standing near the entrance, her eyes scanning the area. When she sees me, a semblance of relief washes over her face.
