She immediately grabbed the thick folder pressed against my chest and yanked it toward herself.
The force pulled me off balance.
With my center of gravity altered by pregnancy, I couldn’t recover.
My ankle twisted.
I fell backward and h!t the hard courtroom floor, instinctively curling around my stomach.
The folder split open.
But it did not contain only hospital invoices and ultrasound photographs.
Hundreds of documents erupted across the polished floor.
Banking records.
Photographs.
Corporate ledgers.
And a thick red folder bearing the official seal of the United States Department of Justice.
The papers scattered toward the judge’s bench just as the door behind it opened.
Judge Bennett entered.
For half a second, no one moved.
The judge was an imposing man in his sixties, known for reducing complicated cases with ruthless efficiency.
He initially stared at the mess with visible irritation.
Then his gaze landed on a large photograph of an offshore banking ledger.
Beside it was a heavily redacted federal indictment with Adrian Cross’s name highlighted in yellow.
The color drained from Judge Bennett’s face.
His eyes snapped toward me as I lay on the floor, struggling to breathe.
His hands began shaking.
Not a slight tremor.
A vi0lent, uncontrollable movement.
He looked at the federal seal.
Then at Adrian.
Then back at me.
Judge Bennett slammed his gavel so hard that the handle splintered.
“Bailiff!” he roared. “Seal the doors! Lock down this courtroom immediately. Nobody leaves!”
I tasted bl00d on my split lip.
When I looked at Adrian’s confusion beginning to transform into panic, a slow smile touched my face.
He believed I had brought protection.
He didn’t understand that I had brought his executioner.
Chaos erupted.
The bailiff rushed toward the double doors and engaged the locks with a heavy metallic click.
Spectators began whispering.
Vanessa stepped away from me, suddenly pale.
Adrian remained indignant.
He had spent so many years being treated like the owner of every room that he had forgotten some doors could close around him.
“Your Honor, what is the meaning of this?” Adrian demanded.
He stepped over my scattered documents and adjusted his cuffs.
“My wife is clearly unstable, and this ridiculous performance—”
“Close your mouth, Mr. Cross!” Judge Bennett shouted.
