Page 88 of Lost Room Lawyer
I turned my head to see Leo in the doorway. Only then did Nico withdraw his hand from my cheek, and my stomach contracted into a tight ball.
“Hector! What are you doing here?”
“Great.” I sighed and scowled at the ceiling as if it were responsible. It was no comfort that Nico had found his laughter again. I reminded myself of what Leo had done, what means he had used to get what he wanted, and how he had harmed Nico’s writing career in the process.
“Hello, Leo,” I said coldly, rising from the bed and straightening my jacket.
My former mentor was still standing by the door, obviously unsure of what he had just seen. He looked back and forth between Nico and me, confused. “Did you two just …?”
Suddenly, I realized I owed Leo no explanation or anything else. What mattered was Nico, who had been through enough in the past few days. Ignoring Leo, I turned to Nico and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Is it okay if I leave you alone with him? Or should I stay?”
“It’s fine,” he said. “I can handle it.”
“I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”
Nico squeezed my hand and nodded. As I passed Leo, he turned to me and made awkward attempts to shake my hand in greeting.
“Forget it,” I said dismissively, leaving the room and closing the door behind me.
My heart raced yet felt light. I was in good spirits and full of energy.
“Sorry, Corvo,” Dominic said, still sitting in the chair with a paper cup in one hand and his phone in the other. “Leo sneaked past me,” he joked in a sarcastic tone. “And you know how intimidating he is.”
I laughed. “It’s fine. He doesn’t scare me.”
After all, I had learned from him.
27
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Nico
“What’s going on here?” Leo asked as soon as the door was closed.
“Forgot already? I’m gay,” I said with effort, suppressing all the overflowing emotions that Hector’s appearance had stirred up in me.
“Right … um … no … Of course.” Leo stepped closer to the bed and glanced back at the door. “But … Hector?”
I could hear it in his voice: Hector’s refusal to shake hands was taken personally. Surprisingly, this sparked an almost absurd sense of happiness in me. It felt like a concession from Hector—he had chosen me over his mentor. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had already finished reading my book
“Can we talk about something else?” I sighed.
The situation was already incredibly stressful—unbelievable that Hector had even been here before my father.Totally sweet.I could hardly believe it myself. I had written him off, sure that he had done everything he could to save his marriage in the last few days. But then he was suddenly here. With me.
“And … um … how are you?” Leo asked stiffly. His gaze briefly wandered to the chair next to my bed, but he preferred to stand.
The grief over my mother weighed heavily on me, and yesterday, the clearing out of her apartment still felt like an iron chain dragging me underwater. Knowing that Hector was outside made everything easier, yet I felt this burning fear inside me.
What if he suddenly changes his mind again?
Can I handle losing my footing once more?
“I don’t know how I’m doing,” I answered honestly, while I eyed my father with suspicion. “It’s been a bit much.”
“Understandable,” he said.
I furrowed my brow in irritation. “Really?”
