Page 54 of After Everything
I pulled out my phone and opened my notes app. The list I'd been keeping for three years, the one Dr. Reeves had me update every week.
Things I'm grateful for:
My practice (small but honest)
My sobriety (three years, no slip-ups)
My health
Marcus and the few friends I made
My parents (still talking to me, even after everything)
A second chance to become someone better
Emma is happy
I added that last one and stared at it for a long moment.
Then I put my phone away and went to bed.
Tomorrow I had three client consultations and paperwork for Maria's hearing.
One day at a time.
CHAPTER 17: EMMA
The courthouse smelled like old wood and anxiety.
I'd been here before; twice, actually, for other DV cases where my testimony had been required. But it never got easier. There was something about the fluorescent lights and the hard wooden benches and the hushed conversations that made everything feel heavier than it should.
