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I heard a few murmurs behind me. I ignored them. “What did Eva ask you to do for her?” Hart sat up straighter. “Things.” I sighed. He had been instructed not to give vague answers. “What things?” I asked. “Things she didn’t want connected to her.” I took one step closer. “Be specific, Mr. Sullivan.” He exhaled. “Threatening people.” The courtroom became even quieter—except for the sound of reporters typing away on their devices. “Anything else?” “Following people.” “Anything else?” “Sometimes destroying things.” I waited. Hart continued. “Making problems disappear.” I turned slightly toward the judge, then back to Hart. “And you did these things?” “Yes.” “Because she asked you to?” He shrugged. “Most of the time.” “Most?” He hesitated. “There were things I did because I wanted to.” That answer caught my attention—as well as everyone’s. We had planned to show the jury that Hart was a flawed man himself, not just Eva’s puppet—that wou
I rose to my feet shortly afterward. “Your Honor, the prosecution would like to call its next witness.” The courtroom quieted. Everyone knew who it was before I even said the name. At the very least, they suspected. “Hart Sullivan.” A murmur swept through the room. Reporters immediately began typing. Some people turned to look at Eva, while others started whispering among themselves. The judge struck his gavel. “Order!” Gradually, the room settled into silence again. I looked at Eva. For the first time since she’d entered the courtroom, something had changed in her expression. It was barely noticeable—a tightening of her jaw, a narrowing of her eyes—but it was there. Then the courtroom doors opened and Hart walked in with two officers. He looked different—not physically—but something about him had changed since the last time I saw him. Perhaps I expected him to appear nervous—he didn’t. His eyes weren’t searching for Eva. He simply walked forward.
The courtroom filled up slowly. Lawyers moved between tables, court officers spoke quietly to one another, and reporters took their seats, already typing furiously on their gadgets. Margot and I were seated side by side, while Jonathan reviewed the documents spread across the table. I tried to focus—I really did. But somehow, my mind kept wandering. First to Hart, then to Eva. The phone, the messages, Hart’s warning. I didn’t realize when my fingers tightened around the edge of the file. “Stop.” I looked at Margot. “What?” “You’re doing it again.” “Doing what?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what she was speaking of. She rolled her eyes. “Thinking yourself into a headache.” I sighed in defeat, then sank deeper into the chair. “I can’t help it.” “You can.” She tapped the file in front of me.We have evidence. We have our key witness—Hart. We have the digital records. You need to trust the work we’ve done.” I nodded. “I do.” “Then breathe.” I i
I woke before my alarm. For several seconds, I remained completely still, staring at the ceiling. Then I remembered what day it was. The trial was starting again. After two weeks of waiting, preparing and wondering what Eva Sterling would do next, we were finally going back into that courtroom. I sat up very slowly. My hand instinctively moved to my stomach—a new habit. There was nothing to feel yet—no movement, no bump, nothing that would tell the world that my entire life had changed. But I knew that there was a tiny life inside me. My baby. Our baby. A smile tugged at my lips before anxiety quickly swallowed it again. But then again, what reason did I have to be anxious? Hart Sullivan had agreed to cooperate. The phone he’d given Margot contained hundreds of messages between him and Eva, spanning across years. We now had more evidence than we had ever even imagined we could get our hands on.We had a witness who knew Eva better than almost anyone. An
Hart was my last call. I knew that even before I dialed the prison. Perhaps that was why I stared at my phone for so long. Once, I had been able to call him and know everything would happen exactly the way I wanted. He listened. He obeyed. He never questioned me. Back then, Hart Sullivan would have given his life to protect me. Now everything was different. That bitch Margot Sinclair was messing with his head. I pressed the call button. It took a while before someone answered. “Eva?” Hart’s voice came from the other end of the line, rough and tired. I poured myself another glass of wine before going straight to the point. “Will you testify for me?” The silence that followed was gut-wrenchingly tight. Then he broke it with a bitter laugh. “No,” he spat. My heart sank. “What has happened to you, Hart?” I asked. “You didn’t even think about it.” “I don’t need to.” “You owe me!” I yelled before I could stop myself. “You owe me your life!” It was
I poured myself another glass of wine. The bottle was already halfway empty, but I didn’t care. I had stopped caring about things like that a long time ago. Standing by the window of my apartment, staring down at the city while the lights blurred beneath me was therapeutic in its own way. Somewhere out there, people were living ordinary lives— Going to work, falling in love, getting married, having children… Things the universe had somehow decided I didn’t deserve to have. They probably had no idea how quickly everything could be taken away. I took a slow sip of my wine, then turned to look at my phone, sitting on the table behind me. I stared at it for a few seconds before reaching for it. There was one person I needed to speak to. I dialed the number. She answered after the second ring. “Hello?” Her voice was quiet. Careful. I smiled. “Tell me about them.” There was a pause. “Mr. and Mrs. Dhark?” “Who else would I mean?” I sassed. “I’m sorr







