Shattered Foundations
936 Words
## **Chapter 2 –Shattered Foundations **
The court’s heavy wooden doors closed behind her with a dull thud, cutting off the echo of the gavel still ringing in her ears. Blair stood frozen on the courthouse steps, the sunlight glaring in her eyes, though the day felt anything but bright. The words *fifteen years* repeated in her head like a cruel drumbeat.
Her phone weighed heavily in her palm, and she clenched it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She had promised Trevor she would find a way to help him, but right now, she didn’t even know where to start.
The crowd spilled down the stairs around her — strangers brushing past, lawyers exchanging handshakes, the low murmur of conversation — but it all blurred into a haze. Blair’s gaze drifted to the other side of the steps where Betty, the girl she had once welcomed into her home, was laughing softly with her family. And there, just a few feet away, stood the real culprit — the smug son of Trevor’s wealthy boss — his lips curling into a victorious smirk.
Her stomach churned.
A sharp voice broke through her thoughts. “Miss Rodrigo!”
She turned to see Barrister Paul weaving through the dispersing crowd, his leather briefcase swinging at his side. Without thinking, she stepped toward him.
“Barrister Paul, please,” she said, her voice trembling. “You and I both know Trevor didn’t do this.”
He sighed, his tone clipped and tired. “Miss Rodrigo, I understand you’re upset, but the verdict is final. The girl testified, there was physical evidence, witnesses—”
“You know it was a setup!” she shot back. “You saw the inconsistencies—”
“Look,” he interrupted, lowering his voice, “I did what I could with the little you paid me. Cases like this… they’re about more than truth. They’re about power.” His eyes darted away. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing else I can do. It’s… only fifteen years.”
Her mouth fell open. *Only* fifteen years? She wanted to scream. Instead, she glared at him so coldly that for a brief moment, he actually took a step back.
“If you’ll excuse me,” he muttered, brushing past her.
Her phone buzzed in her hand again.
The caller ID read **Dr. James – General Hospital**.
Her pulse quickened. She pressed the phone to her ear. “Hello, Dr. James?”
“Blair,” his voice came low and grave. “Your grandmother’s condition has worsened. The kidney has failed completely. If we don’t do the transplant within days, she won’t survive.”
The words hit her like a blow to the chest. “Please—there must be something—”
“The only thing is the surgery. And we can’t proceed without at least half the payment upfront. That’s ten million dollars. I’m sorry, Blair. We’ve already treated her for months without payment. If you can’t arrange it, you might want to transfer her to another facility.”
Her lips trembled. “She’s all I have, Doctor… please—”
“I wish I could help more. Have a good day,” he said, and the line went dead.
For a moment, she just stood there, the phone still pressed to her ear, her mind screaming *ten million* over and over.
Her knees weakened, and she crouched low on the courthouse steps, burying her face in her hands. How was she supposed to save Trevor and her grandmother when she couldn’t even keep the lights on in her tiny apartment?
Before she could take a steadying breath, her phone rang again.
This time: **Mr. Micheal – Restaurant**.
She already knew this wouldn’t be good. She swiped to answer. “Good morning, sir—”
“What is good about this morning, Blair?” His voice was sharp, impatient. “Your shift started an hour ago. Do you think I’m paying you to take strolls around town?”
“I… there’s been an emergency—”
“Save it. You’ve been slacking for weeks. You’re fired. Don’t bother coming back.”
Her chest tightened. “Sir, please, I need this job, I—”
But the call had already ended.
She lowered the phone slowly. Her heart felt like it was shrinking inside her chest. In less than three hours, her brother was sentenced to prison, her grandmother’s life was hanging by a thread, and she had lost the only job keeping her afloat.
She wiped her face with the back of her hand, but the tears kept coming. People were walking past, giving her the kind of look you give a stranger you want to ignore.
Across the street, she saw Betty again, leaving with her family. Blair rose to her feet, anger overtaking grief. She wanted to march across the road and demand to know why she had lied, why she had let Trevor rot in prison to protect someone else.
But before she could take a step, a city bus roared past, spraying her with a fine mist of dirty water. The chill of it made her shiver, and she realized with bitter clarity — the world wasn’t going to stop for her pain.
She shoved her phone into her bag and turned away from the courthouse, her legs moving without knowing where they were taking her. She needed a plan. She needed money. She needed hope.
But right now… all she had was the sound of her own footsteps, echoing in the city that seemed determined to break her.
- Writer
