Chapter 2

2

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. Both of my arms were encased in heavy plaster casts.

For a chef, losing the use of your hands feels like the end of the world. I fought back the rising panic and tried to sit up. I had to find a lawyer.

Sienna was all that mattered now. I didn't have the luxury of feeling sorry for myself.

"Don't move. You have severe fractures. You need to rest."

A man in a sharp suit walked in, carrying a thermal lunch box. He gently pressed me back down onto the pillows.

"Did you save me? Thank you, but I have an emergency. I need a lawyer. I'll pay you back for the medical bills later."

"Looking for a lawyer? Well, you're looking at one."

I froze, looking at him with newfound hope. "My sister... she's innocent. She was wrongly sentenced to three years. I need to appeal. Can you take her case?"

"Of course I can. Tell me everything." The man pulled up a chair and gave me a warm, reassuring smile. "By the way, I'm Holden Hayes."

Holden agreed so readily that my eyes welled up. I had been drowning in despair for days, betrayed by my husband and beaten by thugs.

This was the first time a stranger had shown me any real kindness.

I told Holden everything. When I finished, he slammed his hand on his knee, his eyes flashing with anger. "That is absolute bullshit! This is a total miscarriage of justice."

"Don't worry. I'm taking this case."

I could tell Holden was a man of integrity. He had a grounded, powerful presence that made me want to believe him.

He proved it immediately. With one phone call, he reached out to the university administration to demand the security footage.

Before this, Uriah had told me he had the evidence but forbade me from going to the school. He claimed the board didn't want a scandal.

I had been stupid enough to believe him. I had missed my chance because of his lies.

But with Holden, things finally started to move.

Holden worked fast. He used his connections to get the video. Even though it was slightly grainy, it clearly showed the girls arguing. It proved the roommate had simply lost her footing and fallen.

I followed him back to his office. Watching him seriously organize the files made me feel a sense of peace for the first time in years.

A stranger was doing more to save my sister than her own brother-in-law. Uriah hadn't cared if she lived or died.

All those years of love I gave him were nothing but a waste.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I answered it with trembling fingers.

"Miss Gold? I'm calling from the correctional facility. Your sister, Sienna, suffered a severe depressive episode. She took a permanent exit using a sharpened toothbrush while the guards weren't looking."

The news hit me like a physical blow. Every ounce of hope I had left shattered into dust.

The phone clattered to the floor.

"What happened?" Holden asked, his voice full of concern.

I sank to the floor, my legs giving out. Tears poured down my face like a dam had burst. The agony was so heavy it felt like it was snapping my spine.

"My sister is dead. She's gone."

I clenched my fists and pounded my bandaged arms against my head. "I'm so useless! I couldn't even protect the only person I had left."

"Sienna, I'm so sorry. Your big sister failed you."

I remembered her last look at the courthouse. I realized then that she wasn't just saying goodbye for the day. She had already decided to leave this world.

Holden didn't say a word. He just reached down, grabbed my broken arms gently, and pulled me into a tight embrace. "She knew you were trying, Valerie. She knew."

I stiffened for a second, then buried my face in his chest and let out a primal scream of grief. All the pain I had bottled up for years finally exploded.

Because Sienna was a convicted felon, I wasn't allowed to see her body. In just twenty-four hours, she went from a living person to a jar of cold ashes.

Holden stayed with me through every single step of the process. He didn't leave my side until the urn was placed in my hands.

I stared blankly at the jar, hearing her voice whisper in my head. The pain was a physical weight in my chest.

Suddenly, a ringtone pierced the silence of the funeral home.

"You're really dragging your feet, aren't you? Do you know what time it is? Why hasn't the food arrived!"

"I don't know why I ever married such a petty woman. I have to go to court with Shannon in an hour. Do you expect us to work on empty stomachs?"