Chapter 9 - Sirens in the Night
The automatic doors hissed shut behind them, cutting off the shocked silence of the foyer. The cool night air of the city hit Kalista’s face, a stark contrast to the suffocating heat of the reception. She guided Lenora gently to a stone bench near the valet stand.
"Sit. Keep the pressure on your head," Kalista instructed, pressing her silk shawl against the wound.
"Kalista," Lenora wept, her hands trembling violently. "You shouldn't have done that. Sterling... he owns half the judges in this city. He'll ruin your life. He'll throw you in jail for assault."
"Let him try," Kalista said quietly, checking the street for the flashing red lights of the ambulance. "I made sure my legal and financial firewalls were in place before I ever walked down that aisle. I knew what Thatcher was. I just didn't realize how deep the rot went until tonight."
Lenora looked up, confused through her pain. "You... you knew?"
"I knew Thatcher was a vain, controlling narcissist," Kalista admitted, her voice devoid of emotion. "I married him because his company was the final piece I needed to complete my own firm's hostile takeover of his father's empire. It was a business transaction, Lenora. A cold one. But I never knew he hit women. And I never knew what you were going through."
Lenora let out a choked sob. "Thirty years, Kalista. Thirty years he's treated me like dirt. And Thatcher... Thatcher just watched."
"Not anymore," Kalista said fiercely, gripping Lenora’s hand.
The wail of sirens finally pierced the night air. An ambulance tore around the corner, its red and blue lights washing over the grand facade of the hotel, painting Kalista’s bloody wedding dress in harsh, rhythmic flashes. Behind the ambulance, two police cruisers slid to a halt.
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"When the police ask what happened," Kalista told the older woman, her eyes locking onto Lenora's, "you tell them the truth. Everything. Every bruise, every threat. You are not going back to that house, Lenora. You are coming with me."
Lenora nodded, tears streaming down her face, the paralyzing fear finally giving way to a spark of desperate hope.
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