The closing arguments done, they waited for the decision. The clock ticked slowly on to lunchtime and recess. When Jia left the courthouse, Nowak followed. She crossed the street and headed towards the parade of restaurants on the other side, walking past shops bathed in orange light and filled with pretty pastries and cakes. She chose the nondescript café at the corner of the terrace of shops, and took a seat in a booth at the back, ignoring the menu and ordering from memory. She removed the multiple layers she was wearing to protect her against the elements. She was scrolling through her emails, when he interrupted:

‘Could I join you?’ he said.

She looked up to see Andrzej Nowak standing beside her booth. The fragrance of bitter almond, lavender and tobacco wafted towards her, and she registered his Penhaligon cologne, the same as the one worn by her most disliked tutor at university. Images of Jimmy Khan’s little girl flashed before her like an Instagram story.

‘Thank you, but no,’ she said.

He didn’t move, but continued to stand and stare, as if the very act of looking would bore into her brain and change her mind. She felt his eyes on her, willing her the way owners will their pets when establishing a hierarchy. The silence remained thick, neither of them needing to fill it or knowing what to do. Jia picked up her fork as her lunch arrived, hoping Nowak would understand the signal and leave. But he didn’t. He stayed there, his gaze never straying from her face. She began to feel porous, as if he could see straight through her. She pushed her salad slowly around her plate.

Eventually, he spoke. ‘What happened to you?’ he said. Despite his slim frame, he was blocking the light, and his presence felt more and more oppressive. ‘What happened to make you this way?’

She looked up, hoping to catch the eye of a waiter, but the café was busy and all the staff dealing with customers.

‘I hope you don’t mind, I’d like to continue with my lunch,’ she said.

‘You are not afraid. Most people are afraid of me. Unless they are stupid. And you are not stupid.’