Elena walked into the bathroom and closed the door. It was the nicest bathroom she had been in for 3 years.
Clean, bright, with a big bathtub and shower. She turned on the water and stood there for a moment, just watching the steam rise.
It took her almost an hour to feel truly clean. She washed her hair three times.
She scrubbed her skin until it was pink and fresh. She stood under the hot water until it started to run cold, just enjoying the feeling of being warm and clean.
When she finally came out wrapped in a soft bathrobe that Marissa had left for her, she found Marissa sitting in the living room with a notebook full of notes.
“Feel better?” Marissa asked. “So much better?” Elena said. “I forgot what it felt like to be really clean.”
“Good. Now sit down. We need to make a plan.” Elena sat on the couch and Marissa showed her the notes she had made.
I called my friend Sophia. Marissa said she’s one of the best dress designers in the city.
She’s agreed to meet with us tomorrow to find you the perfect dress. I also called my hair stylist Marco.
He can see you on Friday. And my makeup artist friend Lisa will come here on Saturday afternoon to do your makeup before the wedding.
Elena’s eyes widened. Marissa, that all sounds incredibly expensive. Don’t worry about the money, Marissa said.
I told you I’m covering it. Besides, I called in some favors. Sophia owes me because I helped her get three new clients last month.
Marco said he’d give us a discount. And Lisa is doing it for free because I told her the whole story and she was so angry at your ex-husband that she insisted on helping.
People want to help me? Elena asked, her voice full of wonder. Of course they do, Marissa said.
You’re not the villain in this story, Elena. Jonathan is. And when people hear what he’s done to you, what he’s planning to do at his wedding, they want to help you prove him wrong.
Elena felt something warm spreading through her chest. For so long, she had felt completely alone.
But now, sitting in Marissa’s apartment, learning that people she had never even met wanted to help her.
She realized something important. She wasn’t alone anymore. “There’s one more thing,” Marissa said. Her voice becoming more serious.
“When you walk into that wedding, you can’t just look good. You need to feel good.
You need to be confident. You need to own that room. I don’t know if I can do that, Elena admitted.
It’s been so long since I felt confident about anything. Then we’re going to practice, Marissa said firmly.
Every day this week, we’re going to work on it. We’re going to practice how you walk, how you talk, how you carry yourself.
By Saturday, you’re going to walk into that wedding like you own the place. Elena looked at her friend, her wonderful, kind, determined friend, and felt tears streaming down her face.
But this time they were tears of gratitude. “Why are you doing all this for me?”
She asked again. Marissa moved to sit beside her on the couch and put an arm around her shoulders.
“Because you deserve it,” she said simply. “Because kindness matters. Because that man has been cruel to you for 3 years, and it’s time for you to show him that cruelty doesn’t win.
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