Chapter 12: The 4 Week Wait + Their First Real Date
1004 Words
The 4 weeks were torture and peace at the same time.
Torture because every day Elise checked her email. Nothing.
Peace because every night she was with Leo.
She officially moved a few things to his flat. Toothbrush. Hoodie. Two books.
She told herself it was temporary.
He never asked about the case. She never offered.
They talked about movies. About the bookstore. About the stupid way pigeons in Regent’s Park fought over bread.
It felt like borrowed time.
---
Week 2
Priya sent updates.
The nurse and junior doctor gave statements. Anonymous for now.
“Pattern established,” Priya said. “We just need the final piece.”
Elise nodded. “The drive. From Dr. Blake.”
“We’ll get a court order if we have to,” Priya said.
---
Week 3
The comments online slowed down.
Her bank card was unfrozen.
Her landlord “delayed” the rent increase.
“Pressure worked,” Priya said. “He’s backing off. For now.”
Elise didn’t trust it.
Leo took her to the bookstore again. Closed Mondays. Just them.
“You seem lighter,” he said, passing her tea.
“I feel lighter,” she said. “With you.”
He smiled. “Good.”
That night he cooked for her. Pasta. Garlic bread. Wine.
After dinner they sat on his balcony. Blanket over both of them.
“Elise,” he said.
“Hmm?”
“Can I take you on a real date? Like. Out. Dinner. No bench. No takeaway.”
She looked at him. “When?”
“Saturday,” he said. “If you say yes.”
She should’ve said she was saving money. She should’ve said she was scared.
“Yes,” she said.
---
Saturday. Week 4.
He picked her up at 7pm.
He was wearing a black shirt. Hair done. He looked nervous.
“You look beautiful,” he said when she opened the door.
She was in a dark green dress. Simple. Borrowed from Maeve.
“Thank you,” she said.
The restaurant was small. Italian. Candles. No cameras. No suits.
He held her chair out. Poured her water.
“You’re being weird,” she said, laughing.
“I’m being normal,” he said. “For once.”
They talked for 3 hours.
About nothing. About everything.
He told her about wanting the bookstore. She told him about wanting to open a clinic one day. Free. For women.
After dinner he walked her through Covent Garden. Lights. Music.
He stopped under a string of lights.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked.
She nodded.
He did. Slow. In public. Like he wasn’t scared of anyone seeing.
When they pulled back, she was smiling.
“That was my first real date in years,” she said.
“Mine too,” he said.
They took the tube home. Fell asleep in his bed. Tangled.
---
Sunday morning.
Elise woke up first.
There was a letter on the kitchen counter.
No stamp. Hand delivered.
Her name. Typed.
Her stomach dropped.
She opened it.
Dr. Hart,
Withdraw your appeal. By Friday. Or your sister loses her teaching job. Your mother’s pension “gets reviewed”. And you will never work in this country again.
This is not a threat. It’s a courtesy.
D.C.
Elise’s hands went numb.
“Boo?” Leo’s voice from the bedroom. “You up?”
She folded the letter fast. Shoved it in her bag.
“Yeah,” she said, voice shaking. “Just making tea.”
He came out. Kissed her. “Morning.”
“Morning,” she said.
He didn’t see the letter.
---
At 10am she called Priya.
“Read this,” she said, and sent a photo.
Priya called back in 30 seconds. “Don’t panic. We go to the police. Today.”
“He threatened my family,” Elise said.
“I know,” Priya said. “And that’s illegal. This is good for us, Elise. This is evidence.”
“It doesn’t feel good,” Elise said.
“I know,” Priya said.
---
Police station. Statement taken.
“Do you know who D.C. is?” the officer asked.
Elise hesitated. “Damian Cross.”
The officer wrote it down.
“Can you prove he sent it?”
“No,” Elise said.
“We’ll look into it,” he said.
---
That night she didn’t tell Leo.
He made dinner. He asked about her day.
“Long,” she said. “Lawyer stuff.”
He nodded. “You want to talk?”
“Not yet,” she said.
He kissed her forehead. “Okay.”
She lay in his bed that night staring at the ceiling.
If she kept going, her family paid.
If she stopped, he won.
She texted Priya at 2am: What do I do?
Priya: We fight. But we protect them first. I’ll call Maeve. We get her a lawyer.
Elise closed her eyes.
---
Monday.
Judgment was in 3 days.
Leo was at work. Or whatever he did.
Elise was alone in his flat.
Another letter was slipped under the door.
This one had a photo.
Maeve. Leaving her school in Birmingham.
A red circle around her.
No words.
Elise couldn’t breathe.
She called Priya. Crying.
“They have pictures of Maeve,” she said.
“Okay,” Priya said, calm. “We file for an emergency protection order. Today. And Elise... we use this in court.”
Elise hung up.
Her phone buzzed.
Leo: Dinner tonight?
She stared at it.
She couldn’t tell him.
If she told him, he’d ask questions.
If he asked questions, he’d find out who his father was.
Elise: Can we rain check?
Leo: Of course. You okay?
She didn’t answer.
She packed a bag.
She had to leave his flat.
For their safety.
She left a note on the counter:
Leo, I need a few days. I’m sorry. It’s not you.
And she walked out.
---
Judgment was in 72 hours.
And Damian just declared war.
---
- Writer
