The front door clicks softly behind me as I step inside, my keys slipping from my fingers and landing in the bowl with a tired clatter. The apartment is dim, quiet, except for the low hum of the air conditioning and the distant clink of dishes from the kitchen. My heels are off in seconds, dropped beside the doormat like they’re too heavy to carry any farther.

Rafe’s voice calls gently from the kitchen. “Babe?” I don’t answer right away. My chest is too tight.

He walks into the hallway, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. When he sees me—hair half-fallen from its clip, my eyes already brimming—he doesn’t say anything. Just walks over, wraps his arms around me, and lets me collapse into his chest.

“I’m here,” he murmurs into my hair. “Always here.”

I don’t cry loudly. I don’t have the strength left for that. But my breath stutters. My hands curl into his shirt. And in that moment, I let myself fall apart.

Because today was hard. Again.

I had sat across from her for hours. Her hands clutched a small plastic dinosaur her son had left in her purse. Her voice cracked but never broke, even as she told me more than anyone should have to. Twenty-four, with eyes too old for her face. And a son—barely two—who clung to her leg while she tried to explain years of pain in legal language.

She’s not just a case. She’s someone’s mother. Someone’s daughter. Someone strong. And I have to help her. I can’t lose this case. I won’t. Because she’s counting on me like I once counted on my dad.

He was the first one who ever told me I could do this. I still remember sitting under his desk, pretending to take notes while he argued on the phone. After he died, I promised myself I’d carry on for him. And now I’m 21, a top-tier lawyer, and this—this woman—is why.

Rafe leads me to the couch and lets me curl into him. His hand rests gently on my thigh. “Talk to me,” he says softly, not pushing, just present.

“She’s trying so hard,” I whisper. “And I’m doing everything I can. But it’s not enough. The system is slow. Her ex? He’s smart. Twists everything. And I just—” My voice cracks. “She deserves peace. Her son deserves peace.”

He pulls me in tighter. “You’re fighting for her the way no one else can.”

I blink hard, my throat tight. “I don’t know if that’s true.”

“It is.” His voice doesn’t waver. “You’ve fought your way from being a little girl under your dad’s desk to becoming one of the best lawyers in the country. You did it. You are doing it.”

I shake my head. “It’s just… so heavy, Rafe. It’s not just paperwork or strategy. It’s her life. Her son’s life.”

“I know.” He brushes my hair back. “But if there’s anyone who can carry that weight, it’s you.”

I close my eyes. Let myself breathe. Let myself remember: this is why I chose this path. For the people who need someone to believe in them. For the women too scared to speak. For the fathers watching from above, proud.

And for Rafe—who’s never once stopped holding me up, even when the world tries to push me down.

“I just needed to come home,” I murmur.

He kisses my forehead. “You always will. No matter how hard the day, this—” he rests his hand on my ring finger, “—this is your safe place.”

And in the quiet, in the warmth of his arms, I feel the strength settle back in my bones. Tomorrow, I’ll fight again. For her. For justice. For every voice that was once silenced.

But tonight—I just let myself be held.