Chapter 23 - The New Client
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The waiting area of our main clinic was designed to feel like a living room, filled with soft lighting, comfortable armchairs, and a basket of toys in the corner. When I walked out of my office on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, I saw a young woman sitting rigidly on the edge of the sofa. She looked no older than twenty-five, clutching a worn manila envelope to her chest.
Her name was Clara.
“Mrs. Langham?” Clara asked, her voice trembling slightly as she stood up.
“Please, call me Nora,” I said, offering her a warm, reassuring smile. “Come into my office. Let’s get you a cup of tea.”
Once the door was closed, Clara opened her envelope with shaking hands. She was heavily pregnant, the swell of her stomach evident beneath her oversized sweater.
“My husband passed away in a workplace accident three months ago,” Clara began, a single tear escaping down her cheek. “We didn't have much, but he had a life insurance policy. Now, his parents have hired a lawyer. They are claiming that we were legally separated before he died, and that the baby isn't his. They froze the payout.”
I felt a sudden, icy chill run down my spine. It was a terrifying echo of Beatrice’s cruelty, a perfect repetition of the exact nightmare I had barely survived.
“They want to cut you out of the estate to keep the money for themselves,” I stated, feeling the familiar, protective fire ignite in my chest.
“Yes,” Clara sobbed, burying her face in her hands. “I don't have any money for an attorney. They told me if I just walked away, they wouldn't sue me for fraud. I don't know what to do.”
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I walked around my desk and handed her a box of tissues.
“Clara, you are not going to walk away, and you are not going to fight them alone,” I promised her, my voice laced with absolute steel. “You have just walked into a fortress built specifically for this exact battle. They think you are an easy target. We are going to prove them devastatingly wrong.”
