Chapter 5 - Reclaiming My Voice
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Ten minutes later, I was on the line with Evelyn Reed, the senior partner at one of the top family law and corporate litigation firms in the state. Evelyn wasn't just my attorney; she was my late mother’s closest friend and a fierce legal shark who had warned me about Derek’s controlling nature two years ago.
“Abigail? Where are you?” Evelyn’s voice crackled through the speaker, tight with alarm. “I’ve been trying to reach your cell all day. Derek called your corporate office this morning claiming you had an emergency family leave!”
“Evelyn,” I said, staring at the white ceiling tile. “Derek and his mother broke my leg. They locked me on the kitchen floor for six hours without medical help to break my spirit.”
Silence hung on the line for three agonizing seconds, followed by the sharp sound of Evelyn slamming her pen onto her mahogany desk.
“Are you in a secure facility?” she asked, her voice dropping into a dangerous, razor-sharp whisper.
“I’m at St. Jude, registered under an alias,” I replied. “Evelyn, before they attacked me, I managed to hit record on my smart watch. I have audio of Derek telling his mother to leave me on the floor, admitting he wanted to use the injury to force me to quit my job and stay trapped at home.”
“God bless your sharp mind,” Evelyn breathed out softly. “Abigail, listen to me very carefully. Do not contact him. Do not let him know where you are. He thinks you’re hiding out or crawling back to him.”
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
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“We let him dig his own grave,” Evelyn replied. “Derek thinks he controls this narrative. He’s going to come looking for you to clean up his crime. When he does, we will be waiting with the police, a restraining order, and a search warrant for his home.”
“Make sure they search the pantry,” I added coldly. “The rolling pin still has my blood on it.”
