Chapter 15 - Breach at the Lakehouse
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As spring returned to the city, Elena established a close, unexpected friendship with Laura.
The two women met for lunch twice a month whenever Laura flew in from Spain for her design consultation work. They didn't spend their time talking about Alejandro or the court cases; instead, they talked about art, business, and the future.
Sitting on the sunlit patio of a small café near the river, Laura watched three-year-old Nicolás happily playing with a set of wooden building blocks near their table.
“He has your eyes,” Laura smiled, taking a sip of her iced coffee. “Clear, bright, and completely unafraid.”
“He is my entire world,” Elena said, reaching over to ruffle her son’s dark hair. “Sometimes I look back at that night in the mansion… and it feels like a bad dream that happened to someone else.”
Laura reached across the table and placed her hand over Elena’s.
“Do you know what the hardest part was for me after I escaped five years ago?” Laura asked softly.
“What?”
“The self-doubt,” Laura confessed. “For years, every time I tried to tell someone what happened, they looked at Alejandro’s handsome face, his wealth, his charm, and they assumed I was exaggerating. I spent five years feeling like a ghost.”
Laura’s eyes shimmered with genuine gratitude.
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“When you activated that watch, Elena… you didn't just save yourself and Nicolás. You finally gave me my truth back.”
Elena smiled, squeezing Laura’s hand tightly. “We gave it back to each other, Laura.”
