【14】Unexpected Visits

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Saturday came and went, with more work, more learning, more dullness

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Saturday came and went, with more work, more learning, more dullness... By Sunday morning, my guilt had built up to the point where it was eating me from the inside. Everything within me was aching to hop into the car and drive to see Lex.

But as it was, I had one month left to pull all of this off. To blur the tracks as much as possible, I intended to return to work as planned, the week before the heist. That way, the suspicions wouldn't weigh too heavily on me, since I could hardly be the one who'd done it while also working. But this meant I actually only had three weeks of full-time work left, and then a week where only my nights could be devoted to this.

As I sat on the couch in Lex's living room, I questioned everything. I'd barely touched my breakfast, the granola soggy and unappetizing, sitting cross-legged on the couch in my pajamas. But I couldn't help the invasive thoughts and doubts as I stayed there, emptily staring at the bowl of cereal on the table.

Over and over, I was replaying what had happened with Lex in my head. The fact that he'd imagined I'd come, hoping we'd meet, only to see the day go without me visiting, was heartbreaking. And then when he'd called me, I'd broken his heart further by telling him I'd be making the trip less than before. And he'd asked his very best friend not to come down so I could have more time with him, which only added to this sense of shame I couldn't shake. It was all too much to bear to know that Lex was out there, convinced I'd given up on him.

The intercom rang, forcing me out of my dark thoughts. With a sigh, I went to it, reluctant to see Oli. But I didn't have a choice. Over my five days of research, I'd encountered quite a few issues and had a lot of questions I needed him to clarify.

I pressed the device to my ear, the concierge downstairs greeting me politely. Since our phone call on Friday, Lex had taken measures, so I'd have more freedom here. Now, I could invite people up, which wouldn't have been possible without his approval before.

Once everything was clear and Oli was on his way up, I opened the door a few inches and went back to the couch. I sat on it again, blankly staring at my soggy cereals. For the umpteenth time, I reminded myself that this was the only way, that the end justified the means, that it was the best thing I could do for Lex...

But just like all the attempts before, it did little to appease the remorse and shame.

The door opened after Oli had given it a quick knock, and I looked up to see him enter. The anguish within me must have been plastered all over my face, because he instantly caught something was wrong, a crease forming between his eyebrows.

"Hey, what's going on?" he worriedly asked, dropping his things by the door after closing it.

Although I didn't want to lay it all on him, the need to voice my worries took over. "What if we fail?" I asked. "What if we can't save him, and he ends up in prison for the rest of his life?"

"Where's this coming from, Dora? I thought you had it all under control so far," he said, having reached me.

"Yes, but... what if it's not enough? I don't want to be stuck in here for a month if this is all for nothing. I should go and see him, I should spend as much time as I can with Lex."

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