I’ll
provide for you.”
He tossed a credit card at my feet, and without a backward glance at the broken woman I had become, he turned and walked away.
From the window, I watched him go. I saw Abby run to him, throwing herself into his arms.
They looked like lovers.
Was this really just about repaying a debt?
My heart was a hollow chasm, but I had no time to dwell on it. The damage was done. All I could do now was try to mitigate the
fallout and compensate my client’s family as best I could.
But before I could even begin to form a plan, I received the news that would haunt me for the rest of my life.
My client, seeing no hope, had drowned himself in the river.
His wife, unable to bear the grief, had tried to follow him. Their daughter had done the same. The daughter was rescued, and was
now fighting for her life in the ICU.
The moment I got the call, I rushed to the hospital. The traffic was a nightmare. I abandoned my car and ran.
I stumbled and scrambled, and just as I neared the hospital intersection, a small figure darted out and shoved me hard, sending
me sprawling into the middle of the road.
A car screeched to a halt just a foot from my head. The driver rolled down his window, roaring, “Are you blind? If I weren’t a good
driver, you’d be dead!”
I stamrnered my thanks and grabbed the little girl who had pushed me. “What do you think you’re doing?”
The girl, seeing she couldn’t escape, let her eyes dart around before plopping down on the pavement and bursting into a theatrical
wail.
“Homewrecker! You’re a homewrecker! You stole my daddy! Waaah, you’re a bad woman!”
Onlookers immediately began to stare and mutter. The driver spat in my direction. “Breaking up families. Would’ve been better if I’d
just hit you.”
My head was spinning, but I managed to keep some semblance of composure. I pulled out my phone and dialed 911.
“You will be held accountable for every word you just said.”
Seeing me call the police, the girl scrambled up and ran into the arms of a woman standing nearby.
It was Abby.
And standing right beside her, his face a mask of stone, was Ethan.
In the mediation room, the three of them sat across from me.
The little girl, Anna, kept making faces and taunting me. Abby did nothing to stop her, instead stroking her head encouragingly.
14:00
14:00
Chapter 1
“She’s just a child, Charlotte. Why are you making a big deal out of this?” Ethan’s voice cut in, and my eyes burned with unshed
tears.
“Ethan, I was almost killed!”
“But you weren’t, were you?” Abby shot me a resentful glance. “Why bully a child? I’ll apologize on her behalf, and we can let this go.
She’s a minor, you can’t do anything to us anyway.”
