Chapter 2

I poured myself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter as I drank it. Oliver walked over to me and kissed my cheek then lips. "Have a good day at work baby." He said, grabbing his briefcase and his cup. "I love you."

"I love you too. Have a good day." I smiled and threw him his key he almost forgot on the counter. Once he was out the door, I went to pick up my ringing phone. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hi Mrs. Escarra." Joseline said from the other end. "I know today is your day off, but Mrs. Dubois says she needs to see you. It's urgent." 

I sighed and set my cup on the living room table. "I'll be down as soon as possible." Hanging up, I jogged up the stairs and to the room. Being one of the very few best women lawyers can be extremely tiring.

I slipped on black high-rise pants with wide legs and a black strappy tank top that fit a bit loose on me. I paired the outfit with shiny black stilettos and curled my hair. I left my face bare before making sure I had everything and leaving the house.

Everyone nodded in my direction as a sign of respect, and some scurried off. People either knew my good and friendly side or my rude and annoyed side. Most knew the bad side, but I wouldn't be where I am now if I was polite all the time. The more they feared you the more the respected you. 

Mrs. Dubois, formally known as one of the powerful women in Atlanta, sat in the lobby with Joseline comforting her. Mrs. Dubious was mostly known for her charitable donations to hospitals like the Peachford hospital. She ran multi-millionaire companies and had a daughter, Bella, along with a husband, Mr. Dubois.

They both stood as I neared, and Mrs. Dubois wiped away her tears. "Mrs. Escarra." Joseline said and I gave her a slight nod, greeting and dismissing her. Mrs. Dubois followed me into my office, and I took a seat in my chair as did she.

I handed her a box of tissue then spoke, "How can I help you Mrs. Dubois?"

She chuckled, using the tissue to get under her eyes. "Please, call me Brinda." I nodded. "I'm sure you know who I am along with my husband. I- um..." She started to stutter as tears fell down her cheeks. I sighed quietly and walked over to her, placing a hand on hers.

"Calm down, Brinda. Take a few deep breaths then talk."

She nodded and used the tissue to wipe her eyes again. "It hasn't made it to the media, thankfully, but I'm taking my husband to court. H- he..." I gave her a soft smile and she let out shaky breaths until her breathing returned normal. "He... he sexually assaulted me as well as hitting me on multiple occasions. I need a lawyer. A woman lawyer. You've won basically all of your cases, please. These men won't fight for me as hard as you will."

She used the new tissue to wipe away the tears that had once again fell and squeezed my hand tightly. I absolutely despise cases like these. Husbands who abuse their wives and probably in front of the children. "Of course. Let's get started right away, yes?" She nodded and let out a breath of relief. "I promise you I will put Mr. Dubois behind bars for as long as possible." I squeezed her hand reassuringly.

For the next three hours we talked about her marriage, the first time he hit her and assaulted her. She showed me messages of him apologizing and saying that he'll never do it again, to forgive him. She had photos of every time he laid a finger on her and let just say, there was a lot. 

I had learned not to ask why the victim stays with their partner in these particular situations. Most of the time it's because they think they love them and can't survive without them. In a situation like Brinda's, it could be because of the child that they don't leave. Pathetic excuse of a man is what I'd describe Mr. Dubois to be.

I put away the printed-out photos I had gotten from her phone and into her file. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to report it now?"

Brinda took a deep breath before speaking, "I told you there was an incident he had with my daughter. Last night we were arguing pretty heatedly, and Bella had walked in on it. Zac was yelling at her to go back to her room and when she didn't... he went after her. That's when I decided that she couldn't live like this. I couldn't put her through that suffering."

It hurt my heart and soul to hear her go into a bit of detail about that incident. Mr. Dubois was surely going to get as many years as I could give him. After about another hour of discussing her case we hugged, she thanked me once more and we said our goodbyes. I knew deep down how hard it would be to get this case any serious attention but with her being a very well-known person in Atlanta it would give us a bit of a push.

I hated that she had to be known by a crowd of people in order to get a case like hers some real attention. We said our goodbyes and I gave her a hug, something I usually never do with clients. She left and I did as well a few minutes afterwards, since technically I didn't have to be in today. 

I went home and studied her case, putting my phone on silent and listening to music. I seem to get more work done when I have music playing and nowhere to be, so I took the opportunity. Brinda's case was going to be unpleasant to say the least. Her husband was a narcissist and abuser who'd do anything to make sure he didn't get time in jail.

I felt like if I didn't win this case then I'd be failing not only Brinda and her daughter but every other woman who has yet to speak up about what happened to them.