Amber
The courtroom was holding its breath.
The judge’s words still echoed in the air like a distant drumbeat. My heart was hammering in my chest, faster with each passing second. I could taste the verdict already. It was right there, inches from my reach—finally, finally justice. My fingers clutched the edge of the wooden bench as if I could physically anchor myself to this moment. Ian’s hand was warm over mine, but I barely felt it.
Then Robert—Rayne’s lawyer—stood up abruptly.
“Your Honor,” he called out, voice sharp, desperate, cutting through the thick silence. “Before you deliver the final verdict, may I have one last opportunity to plead my client’s case?”
The air shifted.
A murmur rippled through the courtroom, a mixture of curiosity and disbelief. I stiffened beside Ian, fury already rising like a storm behind my ribs.
The judge’s face was unreadable, a stony mask of professionalism as he looked over his glasses at Robert. For a long second, he didn’t say anything. Then, with
