Page 82 of His Orders

"There are two kinds of silence," she says. "The kind that protects and the kind that conceals. Daniel Holt has spent years perfecting the second. He used money and power and fear to silence every voice that dared to name him. Until now. Until her."

She points to me.

"Truth has a cost. But today, it is one he will finally pay."

The jury is dismissed. The room empties into the hall. I wait in a small anteroom with Ethan and Cassie, my hands curled around a cup of water I do not drink. The hours pass like dripping ink. No one speaks. Not really.

Then the door opens.

"They’re back."

The courtroom is standing room only again. Ethan’s hand is firm in mine. I feel the press of my heart against my ribs, steady and strong and terrified. The jury files in. The forewoman rises. The judge asks.

"Have you reached a verdict?"

"We have, Your Honor."

"How do you find the defendant, Daniel Holt, on the count of criminal harassment?"

"Guilty."

"On the count of coercion with intent to intimidate a witness?"

"Guilty."

"On the count of obstruction of justice?"

"Guilty."

The words fall like stones in still water.

Daniel rises slowly, his body taut. His jaw tics. His hands curl at his sides.

And then, before the judge can speak again, he explodes.

"This is a joke! You hear me? All of you! This is a setup. She lied! You let her lie. You all let her lie!"

He turns toward the jury, then toward me, voice rising, spittle flying. "You think this is over? You think a verdict stops me? You have no idea who I am."

Officers move quickly. He jerks out of their reach once, nearly overturning the table. Papers scatter. One of the attorneys ducks.

"Get your hands off me! This isn’t justice. This is revenge!"

It takes three of them to subdue him. Two to drag him from the courtroom as he thrashes and curses, his voice hoarse with fury. The third picks up the papers from the floor.

The judge doesn’t flinch.

"Remove the defendant. Court will reconvene for sentencing in forty-eight hours."

The gavel cracks down.

And just like that, it is over.

The courtroom empties slowly. Cassie hugs me tight enough to hurt. Ethan says nothing, just wraps an arm around my shoulders and presses a kiss to my temple. Reporters shout questions. Lights flash. But I walk through it all like I am untouchable.

Outside, the sun is shining.

I lift my face to it, the warmth soaking through my skin, and I close my eyes. I breathe.

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