Chapter 5

By the time I tracked Jack down again, he was already preparing to take his daughter back to his hometown.

"The school in the village isn't much, but at least it doesn't charge tuition. Mr. Walton, I really don't have any other choice," he said.

I opened my mouth, but the words were hard to force out. "We're refiling. This time, I'll argue the case myself."

He paused for a few seconds before he looked up at me. A bitter smile crossed his face. "But I don't have any money left to pay you."

"I don't want your money." I held his gaze. "I don't want a cent."

…

The second hearing was scheduled for two mornings later.

This time, I came far better prepared. I had a complete chain of evidence, proof of his wife's affair, and a full breakdown of the marital assets. I had covered every angle I could think of.

Jack brought his daughter to court with him. Her name was Tina, and she had just started third grade. She was thin and timid, and she stayed tucked behind her father's back.

Across the courtroom sat the defense. Jack's ex-wife radiated arrogance, with her paramour right beside her in plain sight. Neither of them showed the slightest hint of shame.

Before the hearing started, the woman strolled over with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Your last lawyer couldn't win either. Why bother? A woman's got to find herself a man with money. That's just how it works."

She glanced at my nameplate. "Mr. Callum Walton, is it? Looking at you, I'd guess you're married too. Has your wife never cheated on you behind your back?"

My fingers tightened around the pen before I even realized it. Jessica's face when she'd confessed flashed through my mind again.

I kept my expression flat and stared the woman down. "The hearing is about to start. Watch yourself and get back to your seat."

Soon after, the judge brought down his gavel, and the hearing began.

My chain of evidence was solid, and I dismantled their arguments one after another without breaking a sweat. Before long, the defense had nothing left to say.

I drew a breath, ready to press my advantage.

Before I could get a word out, the bailiff leaned over and murmured something to the judge.

The judge's expression changed. He brought down his gavel and halted the proceedings. "We've just received information that the plaintiff's attorney is suspected of a serious character violation."

I froze and stared at him.

The judge picked up a sheet of paper and read aloud. "The plaintiff's attorney, Callum Walton, is suspected of maliciously spreading rumors and defaming a colleague.

"This matter is connected to the present case. On that basis, this hearing is terminated, and the original ruling from the first trial stands."

Before I could react, someone in the gallery shot to their feet.

"Isn't spreading rumors illegal? How is someone like that even allowed to practice law?"

"Exactly! Someone needs to investigate him properly!"

"Mr. Walton, I believed in you, but... I'm a lawyer too. I have to answer to my own profession!"

I spun around.

The last voice belonged to Daniel.

Jessica stood right beside him.

Jessica cleared her throat. "Mr. Walton, rumors about Attorney Daniel Jonasson are spreading all over the firm right now. They're saying he deliberately threw a case and that... he only got where he is because I pulled strings for him."

She looked directly at me. "I honestly don't understand why you'd maliciously smear both of us. I'm your fiancée, and he's your oldest friend. Is this jealousy? Or are you just afraid of losing your position?"

Her words set off the entire courtroom. Whispers swept through the gallery, and phones came out one after another to record the scene.

Then someone hurled something at me.

A pack of tissues struck first. A keychain followed, then even a power bank. One object after another slammed into me, several striking my head.

Jack's ex-wife rose from the defense table and walked over. Her triumphant smile widened. "So your wife really did cheat on you."

Jack clearly had no idea what was happening, but he threw himself in front of me anyway. "Mr. Walton is a good man! This has to be a misunderstanding. He's a good man!"

Even the timid Tina followed her father's example and planted herself in front of me. "Mr. Lawyer is a good man!"

I closed my eyes for a moment, then looked past them toward the two people at the very back of the gallery.

Jessica met my gaze with a blank expression. Daniel had an arm around her, but his eyes slid away from mine.

After a moment, Jessica moved her lips and silently mouthed a single word. "Apologize."

My throat tightened. I swallowed the bitterness that rose through it as the noise raged around me.

I thought back to when I'd first chosen law and how Jessica had changed her own application so she could follow me. She'd said law school would be brutal, and she wanted to walk through it at my side.

Daniel had slung an arm around my shoulders and pressed the button to confirm my application himself. He'd said we were family, and wherever I went, he would go too.

How had all of that come to mean nothing?