The Sweet Escape

Chapter Thirty-Four

Skylar could agree that she had found her home in Sanders, Conrad, & Associates. It was a small law firm compared to the other big-name firms in the city, but the attorneys she met there were honest people. They weren't in it for the money, there were in it for the justice. For the help they could offer the ones who didn't really have a voice in the world. She'd learned that her dream of being a top-notch corporate lawyer wasn't really her dream after all. She was happy defending the ones looked down upon by overly-rich and greedy. It was satisfactory knowing that she could make a difference.

After finishing up her first year of law school at the University of Chicago, she went on to apply to several law firms for internship positions. Many accepted her. Only one got her. It was the firm that offered her an unpaid position, the one with the least luxurious office space, but with the most hard-working people she had ever met. The attorneys that worked there had attended prestigious schools like Harvard, Yale, even Stanford, and they could have worked anywhere they wanted, but they chose to work at a small law firm that did most of its work pro bono. She knew those were the lawyers she aspired to be. The ones who did it for the correct justice. For what was truly right.

She learned a lot in the months she spent under the mentorship of those amazing lawyers. In fact, she was quite sure she was finally coming to the realization of who she was truly meant to be. She was happy. For the first time in her life, she was truly happy. No insecurities. No second thoughts. No overthinking. She just went with the flow.

Of course she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss Ian. How could she not? He was her first true love. And she still loved him. He was such a great man. He'd had such a great impact on her. While their relationship had not been perfect, it had still been amazing. She didn't regret anything. But she felt emotionally better. She was free to be herself and find her true aspirations in life. Not that Ian had been holding her back, but he had been a part of a dark time in her life. She needed time. Whether they ever saw each other again, well, that wasn't up to her. She was starting to learn to love whatever life threw in her path.

"You need to take a break," Nate, a new friend, said over coffee. "With school and your internship, you already have a lot going for you. Why do you want to go to South America?"

Nate was older than her, he was an architect and also one of Kyle's friends. They'd met at one of Kyle's parties. And, yes, at first they thought there was a bit more than friendly chemistry between them. Enough for them to go on a couple of dates together. But she'd quickly realized that she was still stuck on Ian. Nate was nice, but he definitely wasn't the man she wanted to be with. He understood, even admitted to her that he had his own romance troubles. They tried to help each other out. Inevitably, they ended up becoming close friends.

"It's a volunteer trip," she explained. "They build houses and plant gardens for people in need."

"That sounds nice," he said, rolling his eyes. "You're a good person, I get it. But you also need a little break. Instead of South America, go to Europe!"

"Aren't you South American?" she pointed out.

"Yes. My mother is from Argentina. Dad's Canadian." He sighed exasperated. "Aren't I an exotic man?"

She laughed. "You know, that Valerie girl you always talk about, is missing out. You're a great guy."

"A great exotic guy?" he teased.

"You're still Canadian, so not really."

They both laughed.

And that was pretty much how she spent her days. She went to school, her internship, hung out with one of her friends, and then did whatever else she could do. And, yes, she did end up going to a very poor country of South America where she learned that there were people living in conditions that she could have never imagined. It made her wonder why she ever wanted to take her own life. There were people who had it worse, but they weren't trying to take the easy way out.