Chapter 28
Alice
I’m restocking deposit slips when I see my mother walk through the bank’s front door. My stomach immediately drops. My hand freezes on the stack of paper.
It’s been two days since my conversation with Sawyer in my driveway. Two days of trying to find our normal again, which mostly means overthinking every text and second-guessing every interaction. But we’ve been trying, and that feels like progress.
Until now
She walks straight to my station, ignoring the fact that I’m with a customer. She’s dressed in her usual work attire, but there’s something different about her posture. More determined. More angry.
“Excuse me,” she says to the elderly man I’m helping. “I need to speak with my daughter. It’s urgent.”
The man looks confused but steps aside. I finish processing his transaction as quickly as possible, my hands shaking slightly.
“Have a good day, Mr. Henderson,” I manage to say.
“You too, dear,” he replies, glancing between my mother and me before walking away.
Mom leans across the counter, lowering her voice. I can smell her perfume—the same one she's worn for years. It used to mean safety. Now it just makes me nauseous. “We need to talk. Now.”
“I’m working, Mom. Can it wait?”
“This can’t wait.” Her eyes are cold in a way I recognize from childhood. “Margaret called me this morning. Lance’s hearing is next week, and his lawyer says you’re making things difficult.”
“How?”
“By refusing to drop the charges. By encouraging that police officer to pursue this case.”
My jaw drops. “Mom, I didn’t encourage anyone. I am the victim here.”
“Don’t play coy, Alice. I know you two are still seeing each other.”
I glance around the bank. Nora is pretending not to listen, but I can tell she’s paying attention. Megan has stopped what she’s doing entirely.
“Can we please not do this here? This is my workplace.”
“We’ll do this wherever I need to,” Mom snaps. “You’re my daughter, and you’re making a fool of yourself over some cop who’s using you.”
“Using me?”
“Think about it, Alice. He arrests your ex-boyfriend, plays the hero, and now he’s got you convinced he’s your savior. Meanwhile, he’s destroying Lance’s life.”
I adjust my glasses, buying myself a second to think. "Lance stalked me, broke into my house, and assaulted me. That’s what destroyed his life.”
“That’s not what his lawyer says. According to him, it was all a misunderstanding that got blown out of proportion.”
I feel like I can’t breathe. “And of course you believe that.”
“I believe Lance made some mistakes, but he doesn’t deserve to have his life ruined. And neither does his family. This scandal could destroy their business.”
Their business. Not my safety. Never my safety.
“What about me? What do I deserve?”
Mom’s expression softens slightly, but there’s still that cold edge. “You deserve better than a man who’s using this situation for his own gain.”
She reaches into her purse and pulls out a folded piece of paper. “This is a statement withdrawing your charges against Lance. All you have to do is sign it.”
I stare at the paper like it’s a weapon. My throat tightens. “You want me to drop the charges?”
“I want you to stop being selfish before it gets worse for everyone. Lance is willing to accept a plea deal for a minor charge if you cooperate.”
“And if I don’t sign it?”
“Then the Carlstons will make sure your officer friend never works in law enforcement again. They have money, Alice. Connections. One phone call and his career is over.”
My chest constricts. There it is. The real threat. She knows she can attack me all day and I won’t fight back. So she’s going after Sawyer.
“You’re asking me to let Lance walk free?”
“I’m asking you to be practical.”
My hands are shaking now, and I push my glasses up my nose. “I need to think about it.”
“You have until tomorrow morning. After that, Lance’s family files their complaint anyway.”
Mom straightens up, smoothing down her blazer. “I love you, sweetheart. But you need to stop being naive about how the world works.”
The words sound rehearsed. Like she's been practicing them.
She walks out, leaving me standing there with the statement and my coworkers staring at me.
I grip the edge of the counter to steady myself.
“Alice?” Nora’s voice is gentle. “Are you okay?”
I look down at the paper. It’s already typed up, official-looking, with a line for my signature at the bottom. Tracy came here expecting me to sign this no matter what.
My phone buzzes with a text from Sawyer.
Sawyer: How’s your day going?
I stare at the message, then at the statement. Two days ago, I was ready to walk away from him to protect his career. Now my mother is asking me to betray everything I know to be true for the same reason.
The difference is, this time I get to choose.
Me: We need to talk. Are you free for lunch?
Sawyer: Always. Everything okay?
I fold the statement and put it in my purse.
Me: I’ll explain when I see you.
I’m sitting across from Sawyer at a corner table in the small diner on Main Street. He’s still in uniform, and I can see the concern in his dark brown eyes.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
I pull the folded statement from my purse and slide it across the table. “My mother paid me a visit at work.”
Sawyer unfolds the paper and reads it, his jaw tightening. “She wants you to withdraw your statement against Lance.”
“And if I don’t, Lance’s family is going to file a complaint against you with expensive lawyers.”
He sets the paper down and looks at me. “What did you tell her?” His expression is calm, but I can see the tension in his jaw.
“That I needed to think about it. But she gave me until tomorrow.”
“And what are you thinking?”
I study his face, looking for any sign that he wants me to just sign the paper and make this go away. But all I see is quiet determination.
“Two days ago, I was ready to walk away from you to protect your career,” I say slowly. “Now my mother is asking me to let Lance walk free for the same reason.”
“Those are very different things.”
“Are they? Both choices are about putting your career ahead of what’s right.”
Sawyer leans forward. “Alice, what do you want to do?”
I push my glasses up, taking a shaky breath. “I want Lance to face consequences for what he did. I want my mother to stop choosing him over me. And I want to stop being afraid that every choice I make will destroy someone’s life.” My voice cracks on the last word.
“Then don’t sign it.”
“But the complaint—”
“Let them file it. Let them bring their lawyers. I did my job, Alice. I have nothing to hide.”
The waitress comes over, and we order quickly. After she leaves, Sawyer reaches across the table and takes my hand.
“Alice, your mother is betting that you’ll choose my career over your own sense of justice. She’s counting on you being too scared to fight back.”
Part of me wants to sign it. To make this all go away. To protect him the only way I know how.
By disappearing.
“What if she’s right?”
“Then we’ll figure it out. But I don’t think you are.”
I look down at our joined hands. “I don’t want to be the reason your career gets destroyed.”
“You won't be. If my career gets hurt, it'll be because they're trying to intimidate a victim into silence. That's on them, not you.”
I want to believe him.
“Do you think Lance should face consequences for what he did?”
“Yes.”
“Then don’t sign it.”
I take a deep breath. “That’s it? Don’t sign it? This isn't some petty threat. They can ruin you.”
“Then we deal with it. But Alice, if you sign that paper, Lance wins. Your mother wins. And you’ll have to live with knowing you let them bully you into giving up.”
When our food comes, I barely touch it. The burger sits untouched, going cold. My coffee tastes like cardboard. But for the first time since my mother walked into the bank, I feel like I can breathe.
“I’m not signing it,” I say quietly. My voice is steadier than I expected.
Sawyer squeezes my hand. “I’m proud of you.”
“I’m terrified.”
“That’s okay. But you're doing the right thing anyway.”
I look at him across the table—this man who's willing to risk everything to stand by me—and realize something has shifted.
I'm not just fighting for justice anymore. I'm fighting for the right to choose my own battles.
And this time, I'm choosing to fight.