Chapter 14 - The Unexpected Guest
It was pouring rain on a Friday afternoon.
I was reviewing architectural blueprints when someone knocked.
Lauren walked in.
She looked completely different.
Gone were the flashy designer dresses.
Gone was the heavy makeup used to hide the bruises Tyler left behind.
She wore a simple sweater, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"May I sit?" Lauren asked hesitantly.
I gestured to the chair opposite me.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me."
I didn't reply. My silence wasn't born of hatred. I was simply waiting.
"I'm moving away," Lauren said. "To a small town up north. Mason found a new job."
"That's good for you."
Lauren bowed her head.
"I owe you an apology."
I set my pen down.
"When Tyler framed you... when he locked you up and drained the company..."
Lauren's voice broke.
"I knew. But I was too cowardly to speak up. I was terrified of him."
I looked at her.
I remembered the long nights left abandoned in the dark room.
"Your silence nearly killed me, Lauren."
She closed her eyes, a single tear falling.
"I know."
"But," I added, my voice softening slightly. "I also know Tyler is a monster. And you were his victim, too."
Lauren looked up.
"You don't need my forgiveness to start over, Lauren. Just live a kind life. That is the only way you can truly make amends."
She nodded, standing up.
"Thank you."
May you like
As Lauren walked out the door, I knew it was the last time we would ever see each other.
And that was perfectly fine.
