Chapter 3 - THE MORNING AFTER
Lena's apartment was small, warm, and familiar. Nora had lived there for three months after their mother died, before moving into Julian's penthouse. She had once thought of it as temporary. Now it felt like the only place in the city where she could breathe.
Lena locked the door and checked the windows.
“Sit down,” she said. “I'm making tea.”
Nora sat at the kitchen table. Her hands had stopped shaking, but her thoughts had not.
“Did he hurt you before tonight?” Lena asked.
Nora stared at the wood grain.
“Not like that.”
“That's not an answer.”
“He started checking my phone. Then he wanted to know where I was every hour. He said it was because he worried.”
Lena sat opposite her.
“And you believed him?”
“I wanted to.”
Nora explained the little things first. Julian criticizing her clothes. Julian insisting that she stop taking freelance design jobs because she did not need the money. Julian telling her that Lena was jealous and wanted to ruin their relationship. Each incident had seemed too small to justify a fight.
Then the small things became rules.
He chose which friends she could see. He kept her passport in his office safe “for protection.” He had her sign papers for a charity foundation he said he was setting up in her name.
“What papers?” Lena asked.
“I don't know. He said they were routine.”
Lena's face tightened.
“Did you read them?”
“Some. Not all.”
“Did you keep copies?”
Nora shook her head.
Lena got up and paced.
“We need a lawyer.”
“I know.”
“And a doctor.”
“I know.”
“And you are not going back there.”
Nora looked at her sister. “I don't have my passport. My laptop. My work files. My medication.”
“We'll figure it out.”
At nine the next morning, Lena took Nora to a clinic. The doctor documented the bruising and asked whether Nora felt safe returning home. Nora said no. The doctor gave her a copy of the report and offered to connect her with a domestic violence support service.
Nora accepted the number.
After the appointment, they sat in a café. Lena's phone rang.
It was her manager.
She listened, her expression growing rigid.
“I'm not coming in today,” she said. “No, this is not a request. I'll speak to HR.”
She ended the call.
“What happened?” Nora asked.
“My manager says someone from Northline called. They want to review my contract. Apparently, there have been complaints about my attendance.”
“Because of me.”
“Because Julian thinks he can scare us.”
Nora's stomach twisted.
“I should go to the police.”
“We can talk to the support worker and a lawyer first. But yes, we need to consider reporting what happened.”
That afternoon, Adrian called.
Nora almost let it ring out.
Then she remembered the footage.
“Hello?”
“I'm calling because the security team has preserved the corridor recording. It shows Julian following you, taking your phone, and grabbing your wrist. The sound is unclear, but the sequence is visible.”
“Can you send it to me?”
“We can provide it to your attorney or the police through the proper process. I don't want to send sensitive footage to a phone that may be compromised.”
Nora looked at Lena.
“Thank you.”
“There is something else. Julian came back to the Halcyon this morning. He asked for the manager and demanded your location. We refused.”
“Did he threaten you?”
“He threatened to have the building inspected. He also mentioned a licensing complaint.”
Nora closed her eyes.
“I'm sorry.”
“Don't apologize for his behavior.”
A pause followed.
“Are you safe?” Adrian asked.
“For now.”
“Good. Keep it that way. Don't meet him alone, and don't let anyone persuade you that an apology is the same as a change.”
After the call, Lena looked at her.
“You trust him?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Nora almost smiled.
“But I think he believes me.”
May you like
Lena reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
“Then let's make sure the people who need to hear you have the chance.”
