r East Side hummed with the quiet clinkin

ing her black coffee. She kept her voice low as she

at against the white tablec

ng you a sunk cost? Leaving in the middle of the night for another woman? Charlotte,

n when my parents died. They raised me for ten years. Breaking this engagem

war," Eleanor

er stomach from the stress. "I need to us

rough the crowded tables towa

olished marble. A busboy had just mopped the floor, l

ned the corner,

balance and crashed hard into a young

cup crushed between them, exploding dark brown

tte gasped, immediately digging in

ok angry. His eyes darted around t

d around Charlotte's wrist like a vice. His grip w

doing?!" Cody screamed

e. "Excuse me?

oing into the main dining room. "Help! This crazy wom

s turned their heads. Whis

to break free. "Are you insane?

lightly before twisting his face

g the commotion and the wealthy patrons staring, he didn

NYPD officers walked

to intervene. "Officers, this

ger at Charlotte. "She assault

throwing himself against the wall, clutching his shoulder as if sh

combined with the manager's frantic demands

this out and take formal statements," the lead officer sta

her fingertips. She looked at the officer, then at Cody's smug, theatr

glass doors closing behind her, and was placed in the back

seats made her feel like a caged animal. A de

lights buzzed above her. An officer a

personal it

purse into the bin.

said, pushing a landline phone

d went blank. Out of pure, ingrained ha

our times. Final

s voice was clip

19th Precinct. A man bumped into me at a restaurant and is

wo-second pau

it," Atticu

hun

room. The metal chair leached the warmth fro

g clarity that Atticus didn't ask if she was okay. He didn'

e hallway outside. Hea

expected to see Atticus pushing

metal door

. Fletcher, the George famil

sional expression and slid a piec

Mr. Fletcher said, his tone purely transactional. "The young man ha

r, feeling entirely hollowed

nd walked out of the interrogat

, her eyes adjusted to the light, an