Chapter 47

Clifford picked up his coat and glanced at her. "Is there something else?"

Yesenia pouted, her eyes pleading. "Can't you stay?"

"No," he said, his answer sharp and final. Then he added, "Not tonight."

Yesenia ground her teeth in frustration. When he said it like that, she knew there was no changing his mind. She let go of his arm with a sigh.

"Fine, go."

She had stayed up just to sit with him, thinking that at this hour he would finally stay. It turned out to be wishful thinking.

She was discovering that powerful men had a special talent for putting a woman through an emotional roller coaster in a matter of seconds. One moment, you'd feel like he truly cared, and the next, he would ruthlessly push you away, reminding you of your place.

If it weren't for her resilience, his hot-and-cold treatment would have driven her mad

long ago.

And just like that, Clifford left. He didn't even look back, making the man who had so gently tended to her wound moments before seem like a figment of her imagination.

At the community clinic, Latisha sat propped up in bed, her lips pale. Two police officers and the security guard from the previous night stood beside her.

"That's the whole story," the guard explained. "I heard the sound of breaking glass, so I went to check it out and found her. I brought her here and then called the police."

The guard had almost left, but Latisha, lying on the ground, had found a rock and thrown it at a nearby window, which made him turn back.

The owner of the broken window was also there, demanding compensation.

A police officer placed her suitcase by the bed. "Is this yours?"

Latisha looked at the young officer and nodded.

"Make sure you keep it safe. I see your ID is inside. I have a general idea of what happened, and we'll do our best to find those two men o the meantime," he said, holding outs a card, "this is the address for the Etherea City Services for People with Disabilities. If you have nowhere else to go, they can help you."

Latisha stared at the card for a long moment before reaching out to take it. She signed, *Thank you.*

The officer then turned to the

woman whose window was broken. "Ma'am, took a look at the glass. It's just a small crack. You can seal it with some adhesive there's no need to replace the whole pane. She was clearly in a desperate situation. How about I pay for the damages?"

The woman glanced at Latisha with a flicker of disdain, though she kept her

expression neutral. “Fine, fine. Just my rotten luck. Of all the windows to break, she had to break mine!"

Latisha heard her words and lowered her gaze.

"Alright then," the young officer said, turning back to Latisha. "I'll cover your medical bills for now. If you have any more trouble or remember anything else, you can come directly to the station."

Latisha nodded.

After the police left, the woman lingered. She stood over Latisha's bed. "Hey, mute girl, you still have to pay me for the window."

The woman was in her forties. Her face wasn't unkind, but the moment she spoke, a shrill, greedy tone emerged.

Wincing in pain, Latisha leaned over, lifted her suitcase onto the bed, and opened it, gesturing for the woman to take whatever she wanted.

She had no money. The clothes inside were all things Clifford had bought for her. They were likely expensive.

The woman eyed the contents, picking through them and inspecting the seams. She seemed satisfied with the quality.

"I'll have you know, that window cost me over three thousand dollars when I bought

it. These few pieces of clothing are worth a thousand at most, right?”

As she spoke, she gathered up nearly all the clothes from the suitcase. "Whatever.

I'll just consider it an act of charity. Just don't go around breaking people's property next time."