Clara
For the first time in many days… I felt peace, not complete… Not absolute, but a gentle calm that allowed me to breathe without that constant pressure squeezing my chest.
I was sitting in the mansion's living room with a cup of coffee in my hands, watching the rain fall behind the enormous windows. New York dawned gray and silent.
Ethan was beside me, checking something on his tablet, but every now and then he looked up at me as if he wanted to make sure I was really okay. And maybe I was… Or at least… I was starting to be.
The external investigation had already begun; the lawyers were working. The board had distanced itself from Alexander. And for the first time since Boston… he wasn't in control.
I slowly lowered the cup.
"I feel like I can breathe again," I murmured.
