Ellie’s POV

Days have passed, and the memory of that night still lingers fresh in my head. If one could tell me what I thought would be the happiest day of my life turned out to be my worst nightmare.

I had thought it was all a dream, and I would wake up to a reality where James and I continued to be in a loving, healthy relationship, but the truth dawned on me as days passed without James.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into days, and all I was left with were memories that would hurt me for the rest of my life.

James was the other part of me; he gave me a new meaning to life and taught me to live, and without him, it feels almost impossible to breathe.

After my breakup with James, drinking was the only way I found solace in all that I was going through at the moment, alongside Aria, who has been my huge support system, sticking with me and making sure I cut down on my newfound drinking habits.

But in the heat of the moment, I found comfort in the company of the bottles of alcohol I drown myself in as I drink and cry myself to sleep every night.

The morning light gently creeps into the room, casting a soft glow across the room. The rays fell directly on my face, making me squint while I gave out a soft cry, and I covered my face with the blanket.

With my eyes still closed, I turned on the bed simultaneously, trying to adjust myself as I wasn’t ready to wake up from my sleep.

Having a good night's sleep was another way I could escape the sad reality of life, and just when I thought I had managed to do so, my cell phone started ringing, making me cry under my breath.

My phone rang continuously without stopping, forcing me to open my eyes from my sleep. I let out a loud sigh on seeing who the caller was while reaching for the phone.

“Hello, what is it?” I said, picking up the call reluctantly, with little or no interest in what Aria had to say to me.

“Ellie, you would not believe it if I told you I have something huge you might be interested in knowing about,” Aria said happily. One could feel her excitement over the phone as she couldn’t stop laughing.

Still trying to knock off the tiredness that lingered in my body, I yawned slightly while rubbing my face with the back of my palm to keep myself awake.

“What is all this about, Aria?” I asked, holding the side of my head as a result of the after-effects of the drinks I had had the previous night.

“Girl, this is about to be one of the biggest cases that our law firm has ever handled, and I promise you are going to be shocked when you listen to all the details,” Aria replied.

“Can you hit the nail on the head at this point? I do not have the patience for a dramatic revelation,” I said.

“Okay, I need you to listen carefully. There is this case that our firm is talking up, and it involves two major companies that are going head-to-head in a legal tussle about intellectual property,” Aria replied, filled with excitement.

“This is going to be one of the biggest cases our law firm has ever handled in a while and I want to use this opportunity to ask if you, my friend, might be interested in taking the case?” Aria continued as she eagerly awaited my response.

My eyes widened on Aria’s revelation, and I jolted from my laying position upon realizing that not only have I ignored my job for far too long.

“This could be what I needed to distract myself and pull myself together after the whole James and I situation,” I said to myself.

“I have to do this, you need to do this, Ellie. Pull yourself together, go out there, and do what you love doing best,” I said, giving myself pep talks while nodding in approval.

“And that is my girl,” Aria screamed with joy upon listening to all I had to say to myself.

“I am so happy you have decided to move past all you have been through over these couple of days and want to put yourself out there. I couldn’t have been more proud to call you my friend,” Aria said as she couldn’t contain her excitement at that moment.

“You need to calm down, girl, I am not going off to war,” I said, teasing Ellie, and we both burst out into soft laughs.

“It’s finally good to hear you laugh once again. I have missed this part of you so much,” Aria said lovingly.

“I should thank you for sticking by me and making sure I am okay. I will be forever grateful for your friendship and kindness towards me,” I replied, wiping the tears that dropped from the side of my eye.

“Aww, Ellie, you are going to make a grown woman cry,” Aria said, holding back her tears while sniffing repeatedly.

“Alright, time's up, enough of all these emotional speeches. It’s time we get into serious business, Ma’am,” Aria continued.

“So let’s get straight into business, Aria, and this time I need you to be my assistant and not my friend. I want you to tell me all the details you have about this case,” I said, adjusting to a more comfortable position on the bed.

“At the moment, I don’t have much information as regards the lawsuit, but all I am aware of is that we are to represent the plaintiff as the defendant's counsel,” Aria replied quickly without hesitation.

“Interesting times. Okay, Aria, let’s get straight to work. I would like you to get me a detailed document on everything I need to know about the company,” I said with a cheeky smile on my face.