Addicted

Chapter 19: Beginnings

A/N me? introducing drama and plot into this book? its more likely than you think

nah but for real i just wanted to expand on the plot in this book, and uni starts soon so i wanna get as many chaps as i can out before i start! 

anyways hope yall enjoy! xx 

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Camila lets her work get to her, she lets it sink its teeth into her skin and it makes her start to think that maybe not everything in the world is inherently good.

The case she's been working on for weeks breaks her down, beating her to a messy pulp. A child, god, only nine years old, abused by her father. The case is heavy, sitting upon Camila's shoulders and making her close her eyes, lean her elbows on her desk, rub tiredly at the bridge of her nose.

Jesus, Camila thinks, barely ten years old.

Tears prick her vision, she gets up and starts to pace and breathe faster because no, no. Not now. Not at work . She doesn't need to have an anxiety attack about her own childhood at work.

She shuts her eyes, hands in her hair as she breathes in deep. One. Two. Three. In. Out. In. Out.

"Come on Cabello, calm down."

She mutters it to herself, shakily breathing out one last time, putting her hands on her hips and blinking to the roof to stop the tears. The light in her office flickers once and she should really fix that because it's wrong and out of place and since when did the floor boards creak like that and was that crack in her desk always there and-

Her phone lights up, making Camila flinch slightly.

baby (Lolo): hey camz! im picking something up from the store on the way back, frozen pizza rolls sound good?

For the first time that day, Camila cracks a smile, a little bit of light being let into her heart at Lauren's simple text. She picks her phone up, putting her reading glasses on and unlocking it; replying with a simple "sounds good baby" and a bunch of heart emoji's.

She's shaken out of her smiling match with her phone when a light knock rings out in her office, Camila looking up and seeing Normani, smiling in greeting and holding her finger to her watch to her boss.

"It's 3pm Ma'am. Ready?"

Camila frowns, locking her phone and folding her arms. "Do I have a meeting I missed, or..."

Normani blinks once, laughing lightly in confusion. "Uh, Camila, the interview with the victim?" Normani checks her notepad, flicking through. "I'm preeetty sure it was scheduled for 3pm today, Ma'am."

And Camila shuts her eyes, muttering "Shit" as she takes off her glasses and grabs her blazer off her chair, picking up her handbag and loose papers.

"God, sorry Normani. This case is..."

Normani smiles sympathetically, taking Camila's blazer without the older woman asking, Camila blinking pleasantly surprised at the action.

"Stressful? I know. But you got this, yeah? The interview is just a standard procedure; the victim just needs some familiarity with the woman who's going to save her life."

Camila rolls her eyes at Normani's words, her secretary laughing as they walk in the direction of the interview rooms. Sometimes she's so glad she hired, met, and became friends with Normani; in that moment, Camila's pretty sure she feels like crying.

(It's been a long day.)

"I know you're just calling her "victim" for procedures sake, but what's this girl's name?"