Chapter 1: The Broken Lawyer
Hey readers,
I have a small request. Please don’t judge the story too quickly. Give it a full read before forming an opinion. You’ll have every right to judge it after that. Because it's happening with my most of the stories. Like if you are not liking the story why are you reading till the end and still saying i didn't liked the plot.. character..etc😅😅.
If it’s not your type of story, that’s completely okay — you can stop reading anytime. But comments like “it’s copied” or “it’s not interesting” and all the staff right at the start can be a bit unfair.
This story isn’t copied. It’s inspired by a concept, but everything else comes from my imagination and effort. I hope you understand and enjoy reading it with an open mind.
The glass shattered against the wall with a deafening crack, fragments raining across the polished floor of Adrian Blackwood’s penthouse. His chest heaved, his jaw clenched so tight it could break bone. The whiskey bottle in his fist was half-empty, his shirt collar undone, tie hanging loose around his neck like a noose.
“Get the hell out of my sight,” he roared, slamming the bottle down on the table. The young associate, who had been foolish enough to bring him case updates at midnight, flinched and scurried out of the room without another word.
Adrian raked his hands through his dark hair, breathing hard. His phone buzzed. He glanced at it once—an unknown number—and threw it across the room. The device crashed, screen splintering, joining the chaos of broken glass that littered his floor.
None of it mattered. Nothing did.
Because she wasn’t here.
Elena.
Her name alone set fire to his veins. Every time he closed his eyes, her face was there—her soft brown eyes, the way she would look down instead of meeting his stare, the gentle patience that drove him insane. And the silence. God, her silence. It haunted him louder than any scream.
He poured another glass, his hands trembling this time. He was Adrian Blackwood, the city’s most ruthless lawyer—the man who could tear apart a witness with a single question, who could dismantle reputations in the courtroom like a predator playing with prey. Judges respected him. Opponents feared him.
But without her? He was nothing more than a man unraveling piece by piece.
The door banged open again. This time it wasn’t the associate. It was Marcus, his closest friend and law partner. The only person brave—or stupid—enough to walk into Adrian’s storm.
“You’re destroying yourself,” James muttered, stepping over the glass. “One more drink and you’ll show up in court smelling like a goddamn bar.”
Adrian sneered, swirling the whiskey. “Court doesn’t matter anymore.”
Marcus studied him, eyes sharp. “This is about her again, isn’t it?”
Adrian didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. His silence was enough.
For a long moment, the only sound was the faint city noise drifting in through the windows. Then Marcus sighed. “You can’t keep doing this. You can’t keep living in the past.”
Adrian slammed the glass down so hard it cracked. His voice was a growl.
“The past is all I have left.”
He stood, shoulders broad, eyes dark with rage—and pain. “Do you want to know why, Marcus? Do you really want to know how Elena Hayes destroyed me?”
Marcus stayed quiet.
Adrian’s gaze shifted to the city skyline, but his voice had dropped, heavy, filled with the kind of ache no courtroom victory could heal.
“It all began the day she walked into Blackwood & Co. A first-year law student. Quiet. Innocent. The kind of girl who didn’t belong in my world. And yet…”
His lips twisted into something between a smirk and a grimace.
“She became my whole damn world.”
