Chapter 14 - The Interview Three days later, Elena sat in a small room with a legal advocate arranged by Julian.
She had showered. She had changed clothes. Her cheek had healed enough that the bruises were fading.
But she was not the same woman who had been trapped under the floor.
She spoke for two hours.
About the house. About the hidden room. About the names in the ledgers. About the man who had controlled the family for years.
And about the little girl in the pink dress who had seen everything and somehow stayed brave.
When the interview ended, the advocate looked at her with quiet respect.
“You did the right thing coming forward.”
Elena thought of how long it had taken her to believe she still had that choice.
Later, she found Lily asleep in a chair beside the window, clutching a stuffed rabbit Julian had quietly left for her.
That small kindness almost broke Elena.
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Because after everything, it proved one thing:
Some people still knew how to be gentle.
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