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“My client is confident that if the case went to court, the ruling would be in our favor.”
The lawyers shared a pointed look.
“However,” my lawyer continued, “my client is willing to settle, but there are stipulations. If they are not agreed to, we will have no choice but to go to trial.”
An ache formed in my jaw. I held still, barely breathing as I waited for their lawyer to read over the documents Frank pushed to their side of the table.
“We will need a moment to confer,” Mr. Miller said.
Frank and I stood then left the room.
Air whooshed out of me on the other side of the closed door, and I leaned a shoulder against the wall. It was more to keep myself from dropping to the ground than anything. “What do you think will happen?”
“They’ll sign.” Frank’s phone rang. He answered and pressed it to his ear.
The agreement was that the Green family would not seek retribution through slander and could not bring forward any new or fabricated evidence. They were not allowed to speak my or my family’s name in relation to what had happened or with ill intent. If they broke any of those sticking points, we would sue for more than the payout they would receive, plus legal fees and punitive damages.
It took ten minutes before the door opened and we were due back in the conference room.
“Mr. and Mrs. Green have agreed,” Mr. Miller announced.
“We’ll need a witness.” Frank stepped out of the room, making sure I went with him.
The next fifteen minutes were a blur as the Greens signed the witnessed documents in duplicate, and with each signature inked, my lungs expanded a little farther. I should have known that feeling of hope wouldn’t last.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
WINTER
Icouldn’t shake the conversation I’d had with my old neighbor Estelle earlier. And no amount of homework or streaming shows worked. The walls of my dorm room pressed in on me. I’d even called work to see if I could pick up an extra shift, but they were covered.
With nothing to occupy my thoughts, scattered memories pushed through the door in my mind where I’d kept everything locked away of before Mom had gone to jail. What had once been the only coping mechanism my younger self would allow against the pain was riddled with cracks that I knew would one day release everything.
Charcoal smudged my fingers, and torn-off pages from my sketch pad littered my bed, all with the same image—the faceless man from my nightmares.
The door to my room opened, and I jumped.
Piper walked in, her long blond ponytail swinging behind her. Her eyes widened as she took in the mess around me. “Whoa.” She came closer, pinched one of the drawings, and studied it briefly. Concern clouded her blue eyes. “What’s going on here?”
She released the sketch, and it floated back to rejoin the pile of similar ones on my bed. My cheeks heated. It was weird that the faceless guy sometimes visited my dreams and haunted my mind. And after returning to where I’d lived with my mom and sister, I couldn’t exorcise him from my thoughts. That was what happened. Hundreds of faceless images, shrouded in shadows and with a swirl of different backgrounds, plagued me. I couldn’t draw fast enough to purge them from my brain.
“I don’t know.” It was the best answer I could give. “It’s something I’ve seen in my dreams.”More like nightmares.
“This doesn’t look like a good dream.” She dropped her bag by the corner of her desk before sitting on her bed and facing me. “Does this have to do with what happened when you were a kid?”
I shrugged. “I…”Did it?“I’m not sure. It’s someone from my past.” I gave up and tossed my sketchbook and charcoal pencil onto the comforter with the rest of the drawings. “I think my mom’s parole is bringing up all kinds of stuff that I’d forgotten.”
Piper pulled up her legs and sat cross-legged. “That’s understandable. It was years ago and very traumatic. I couldn’t imagine losing my sister and my mom in the same year, let alone in the same month.”
“I just want it to stop, but he keeps reappearing in my mind.” I dropped my face into my hands, wishing I could escape all the crap with my mom.
“Have you shown any of those drawings to the police?”
“No, but that isn’t a bad idea.” I needed to decide on if I would go to Mom’s hearing. Maybe they had information on file that could help identify who the man was and how he connected to my family.
Piper swung her legs over the side of the bed, her foot bouncing furiously. “Do you want me to go with you?”
I pressed my lips together, suppressing the surprised laugh. Her body language clearly said she didn’t want to. “No, but thanks. I’m sure it’ll be a wasted effort.”
