no comfort. Instead, it felt like swallowing glass.
She’ll be back, Ethan thought. She’s just trying to get my attention. That’s all it is.
But that conviction shattered the moment I walked into the courtroom. And it crumbled into dust when the judge declared us divo-
rced. He finally, truly understood: Charlotte was leaving him.
A wave of inexplicable panic crashed over him, a tremor deep in his soul.
I stepped out from behind Gary, facing them both.
“Abby, it was such a simple divorce case. How did you lose?”
“You-!”
I turned to Ethan, my voice gentle. “Wondering why I filed on that specific day? It’s because ever since you destroyed my career, I’ve been sending out my resume. And on that day, thanks to a recommendation from my old professor, I was hired by Vance & Associ- ates. I was a lawyer again. I finally had the strength to leave you for good.”
“I needed a case to get back into practice, and yours was conveniently available. What made it even sweeter was that you really did bring Abby. And she lost. Neither of you disappointed me.”
“You got lucky once, Charlotte, don’t be so smug!” Abby shrieked, lunging to slap me, but for once, Ethan held her back.
“Don’t worry, Abby. I’m not about to let you off the hook. From now on, for every case you take, I’ll be there, on the other side.” I said with a smile, then turned and walked away with Gary.
Abby, furious, turned on Ethan. “Ethan, did you see her? It’s a good thing you two are divorced, otherwise-”
Her words died in her throat. She saw Ethan’s gaze, locked on my retreating back, long after I was gone.
Ethan craved the noodle soup I used to make.
He got drunk again and had his assistant buy out every noodle shop in the city. Bowls piled up on his desk, all tasting vaguely simil- ar, but none of them warmed his stomach, or his heart, the way mine did.
He thought, Charlotte was always so busy with her cases. How did she still find the time to take such meticulous care of me?
On his desk was a photo of me from when we were dating. I was holding up my bar license, grinning. “From now on, you may call
14:00 C
Chapter 2
me Counselor Hayes.”
He, who rarely smiled, had patted my head. “Counselor Hayes,” he had said, a hint of pride in his voice.
A sudden wave of irritation washed over him. He swept everything off his desk into the trash, including the photo.
He stared at the empty desk. After a moment, he slowly reached into the bin and picked out the picture. He wiped it clean, over
and over, then pressed it to his chest, murmuring to himself.
“Was I… wrong?”
That night, he watched my public trial videos over and over again.
On screen, I was sharp, professional. Not a single wasted word. Every point was a surgical strike, piercing right through the opposit- ion. I was invincible.
He started to wonder. If he hadn’t stolen my files, hadn’t leaked my witness’s information, would I have been just as brilliant, just as sharp, dealing Abby a crushing defeat?
He remembered seeing me that day after the trial. I had lost all my pride, all my confidence. The light in my eyes was gone. I was a ghost, answering reporters‘ questions in a daze. She was a grey, faded version of herself, a stark contrast to the vibrant, triumpha- nt Abby.
Thinking back on it now, Ethan’s heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant hand. A bitter, sour feeling spread through him. He felt a pang of regret, and a surge of pity for me.
He watched all night, and went to the office with dark circles under his eyes. His secretary reported a blunder by the legal depart- ment that was about to cost the company a lawsuit and a fortune in damages.
It was such a simple mistake, even he, a layman, could see it. He slammed his fist on the desk. “How did this get approved?!”
The secretary answered timidly, “Ms. Monroe signed off on it… You said she had full authority.”
He was speechless. He buried his face in his hands. If I had been there, I would have caught the problem instantly, saved him from this unnecessary loss…
He was thinking of me again.
Just then, Anna came flying into his arms, knocking him back a step.
Ethan realized for the first time how strong a twelve–year–old could be. When I had been pushed into the street, he had assumed I was exaggerating, being dramatic… Now he realized, if that driver hadn’t slammed on the brakes, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
A chill of fear ran down his spine. He quickly pushed Anna away.
