Emily gave her son dinner, put him to bed, and read him a story about a good wizard who defeated evil witches. Noah fell asleep with a smile on his face. If only everything were as easy as in fairy tales, she thought.
At 10:00 at night, Emily got in her car and drove towards Park Avenue, where the law firm was located. Ethan had been a senior partner there for three years, a position with a high salary, prestige, and the respective clients. All of it had provided their family with a comfortable life, or so she thought.
The firm occupied two floors of a modern skyscraper. Ethan’s office was on the second floor in a corner of the building. Large windows, mahogany furniture, leather armchairs. Everything looked solid and inspired confidence.
Emily parked the car on a side street and looked around. The street was empty except for an occasional passer by and the hum of cars on the main avenue. The surrounding offices were dark. The workday had ended long ago.
She took out the small silver key with a keychain in the shape of the scales of justice. She had given it to Ethan on their first anniversary.
“Justice above all else,” he had said.
“Then what a cruel irony.”