𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝒽ℯ𝓇 𝒽ℯ𝒶𝒹 ⚤︎✯

𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆

A gust of wind blew in, the chill cutting through her wool coat and the silk blouse beneath. Lucy paused as an errant curled lock of hair broke free from the confines of the pin that had held it in place to feather across her face. She struggled to capture all of the strands but managed to get them pinned behind her ear and she glanced up, realizing she had arrived. The tall building towered in front of her, its glass front reflecting the city that sprawled around it. Any other time she had always found its façade beautiful, but today it was just a symbol of pain and the ominous future that would unfold in a matter of minutes.

Dread filled the broken, empty cavern of her chest and she blinked against the sting of tears. I will not cry today. That had been her mantra for months now it seemed, days and weeks on end where the swell of her emotions lay just beneath the surface. Depression had overrun her life, affecting everything from her job to the simplest of tasks. She could no longer count the number of sandwiches she'd made only to toss them out because of tear soaked bread. Grocery shopping, folding the laundry. Everything had become a struggle because this wasn't supposed to be how her life was to end.

But she'd had no choice in the matter.

Someone brushing past pulled her from her reverie and she whispered a brief apology before pushing herself forward. One foot in front of the other. It was the only way she made it through the day sometimes and this one seemed to be the worst of all. It's just salt on an open wound, Lucy. You just have to get through the next thirty minutes, hour tops. Reluctantly, she approached the front doors of the building and offered a small smile of thanks to the raven haired stranger who held the door for her on his exit.

His eyes caught hers for the briefest of moments and she saw her own sadness reflected in the strangely colored crimson orbs. It could have just been a figment of her imagination, but it was a comfort in a way. Knowing that perhaps she wasn't the only sad soul in the city. The moment passed as quickly as it came, the door closing behind her and the man disappearing into the crowd of people that passed on the sidewalk outside.

"Lucy, I was starting to think that you wouldn't make it."

She turned at the sound of heels clicking on the marbled floors to find her attorney approaching with briefcase in hand. The woman, who she'd known since high school, wasn't just legal counsel but a shoulder to cry on when the glass case around her life had shattered. "Sorry, Erza. Traffic was a little hectic today."

The redhead offered a comforting smile as she reached over to rub a gentle hand against her arm. "Are you sure that you're ready for this?"

The honest answer was no. She wasn't ready, not even remotely close but she doubted she ever would be. How did one simply say goodbye to a life they weren't prepared to give up? Anxiety threatened to steal her breath and she closed her eyes for a moment, willing it back down into the depths from which it came. This had not been her choice and she needed to remember that.

"I'd just like to get it over with," she replied.

Then she could go back home and fall apart again. This would be the culmination of the struggle, the final curtain call. She could let go of whatever tears she still held and put it behind her, the way she'd told herself to do from the beginning. Forcing a much braver face than she felt, she followed her friend and counsel across the lobby to the elevators. No words were exchanged as they entered the car nor on the ride up to the twenty-fifth floor.

The bell sounded their arrival and the doors opened to reveal a set of glass doors that she knew all too well. She'd helped pick the lettering that decorated the solid, plate glass walls that flanked those doors. Dreyar, Dreyar and Associates. She drew in an unsteady breath as she wiped her suddenly drench palms against the cotton lining of her coat pockets. A gentle tug on her coat prodded her into moving and she quietly followed next to the redhead who moved with a purpose. This was really happening, this was it.