Evelyn's POV Evelyn felt it the moment she walked in, like the air itself had thickened overnight. The other sittings had been about formalities, motions, measured words, everyone posturing and staking ground. This one wasn’t polite, this one was sharp, it was the real deal.She took her seat beside Reed, her fingers laced together in her lap, nails pressing into her own skin just to keep herself grounded. Carmen wasn’t inside — she was outside with Jayden, pacing, waiting, praying. That knowledge alone was enough to make Evelyn’s chest ache, but she kept her head high.Across the aisle, Damian sat stiffly, jaw clenched, his expression unreadable. Vanessa sat two seats away from him, perfectly composed, dressed in soft elegance, not her usual, her posture calm, her face carefully neutral.If Evelyn hadn’t lived with her, hadn’t watched her closely for months, she might have believed it. But she knew Vanessa now, she knew that stillness meant calculation.The judge
Last Updated : 2025-12-21 Read more