Chapter 2
663 Words
The Price of One Night
Miguel Navariz
The case against me moved faster than I expected.
Loraine Mortis formally filed charges, and within days, my name became the subject of whispers inside our law firm. I could see it in their eyes—pity from some, disappointment from others.
But the hardest part wasn't facing my colleagues.
It was facing Shiela.
I had no choice but to tell her the truth.
Not because I wanted to save myself.
But because she deserved honesty.
When she arrived at my apartment, her eyes were already filled with tears.
"Miguel," she whispered. "Tell me they're lying."
I couldn't look at her.
"Shiela… something happened that night."
The silence that followed felt like a knife piercing my chest.
"What do you mean, something happened?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"I woke up beside another woman."
Her face turned pale.
"You cheated on me?"
Tears fell from her eyes.
"For six years, Miguel. Six years!"
"I didn't mean—"
"You didn't mean?" she interrupted. "Do you know how much I trusted you?"
I wanted to explain everything, but I knew explanations couldn't erase the pain in her heart.
"I never wanted to hurt you."
"But you did."
She cried.
And seeing her cry shattered me more than the accusations against me.
The next day, her family learned about everything.
Her mother avoided me.
Her brothers cursed me.
And her father…
The man who never liked me from the beginning…
Finally had a reason to hate me openly.
"You destroyed my daughter's life!" he shouted when I went to their house.
"I loved her, sir."
"Love?" he laughed bitterly. "You call that love? Stay away from my daughter! You're no longer welcome here."
That was the last time I saw Shiela.
Days became weeks.
Weeks became months.
We stopped communicating.
No calls.
No messages.
Nothing.
And perhaps…
That silence was more painful than hearing her say goodbye.
The hearings continued.
Loraine's statements remained consistent.
She answered every question with confidence.
And every time I looked at her, I still couldn't understand one thing.
Why couldn't she remember me?
Meanwhile, I gave my own statement and narrated every detail I could remember from that night.
The drink Diego handed me.
Seeing Loraine staggering.
Taking her to the hotel.
Fragments of memories.
Then waking up beside her.
But my memories were incomplete.
And incomplete memories could destroy lives.
"You're a lawyer, Miguel," Attorney Reyes told me one afternoon after the hearing. "You know how difficult this case is."
"I know."
"Then we need evidence."
He sighed heavily.
"And stop thinking emotionally. This isn't about love."
I nodded.
Because deep inside, I already knew.
Whatever feelings I once had for Loraine seven years ago no longer mattered.
What mattered now was the truth.
And the truth was buried somewhere inside that night.
As I walked outside the courthouse, I saw Loraine waiting for her car.
Gathering all my courage, I approached her.
"Loraine."
She looked at me coldly.
"What do you want?"
"I just want to talk."
"We have nothing to talk about."
"Please. Just a few minutes."
Her eyes hardened.
"I trusted no one that night. I woke up confused and broken. And now you're asking me to talk?"
I lowered my head.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize to me if you think it will change anything."
I looked into her eyes.
Seven years ago, those eyes smiled whenever she saw me.
Now…
They only held anger.
Before entering her car, she turned around one last time.
"And stop acting like you know me, Attorney Navariz."
The words struck me like lightning.
Because she really didn't recognize me.
Not even a little.
As her car disappeared from my sight, my phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
"Attorney Miguel Navariz?"
"Yes."
"This is Saint Matthew Hospital."
My heart skipped a beat.
"We found something in the toxicology reports from the night of the party."
"And sir..."
"The results don't make sense."
- Writer
