Chapter 85

The air in the courtroom is thick with tension, the kind that coils in my stomach and makes it impossible to breathe.

I sit at the plaintiff's table, my back straight, my hands folded neatly in my lap. My heart pounds so hard I can feel it in my throat, but I don't let it show.

Not today.

Not anymore.

Across the room, Victoria lounges in her chair, a slow, confident smirk playing on her lips. She's wearing an expensive black dress, her blonde hair styled to perfection, her makeup just enough to paint her as a victim but not overdone.

She looks like she's already won.

And why wouldn't she?

She played this game well.

Her lawyer stands, buttoning his suit jacket before addressing the judge. "Your Honor, my client, Mrs. Victoria Cardwell, is a woman of high social standing, financial stability, and experience in raising children—"