A murmur rippled through the gallery. Across the aisle, the defendant’s party lost their composure.
Ethan shot to his feet, his voice laced with panic. “Abby and I were just living together so I could take care of her and the child! Not- hing happened between us. That’s not proof! I don’t agree to the divorce!”
I pointed out, my voice steady and clear, “The defendant has just admitted, on the record, to cohabitating with another woman during our marriage.”
The gavel fell. Divorce granted.
Outside the courthouse, Abby blocked my path. In over a decade of practice, this was likely her first loss. She spoke through gritted teeth, “The only case you’ll ever win is your own divorce. After what happened, who in New York would dare hire you?”
“I would. I dare.”
The voice came before the man. A figure stepped between us, shielding me from Abby’s glare. He was smiling, a picture of easy confidence.
Abby recognized him instantly. In the New York legal world, everyone knew Gary Vance, the man who had built a ten–firm empire from the ground up.
“Ms. Monroe,” Gary said, his smile widening. “First, my warmest congratulations on your loss. Second, I’ve already extended a form- al offer to Charlotte. Starting tomorrow, she will be my firm’s new ace attorney and partner.”
Abby stared, incredulous. “Mr. Vance, you… you two…”
I didn’t know when Ethan had come to stand behind me, but his voice was a low, almost spectral murmur. “Charlotte, you didn’t have to do all this–the fake divorce, hiring this guy just to make me angry. The case is in the past. You only lost your job, it’s not the end of the world. Why can’t you be magnanimous like Abby? Why can’t you just move on?”
Gary started to speak, but I held up a hand to stop him.
“Fine,” I said, my voice dripping with ice. “I’ll be magnanimous. I’ll move on.”
“Here’s how. You issue a public statement, right now. Admit that you stole my materials for the Westgate Construction case, caus- ing my appeal to fail. Admit that your actions led the plaintiff to take his own life, destroying his family. You do that, and I’ll move
on.”
The color drained from both their faces.
A few months ago, I had taken on a monumental wrongful conviction case, one that had captured the city’s attention. Driven by a lawyer’s sense of duty, I stepped in.
It was a losing battle. Everyone knew the construction worker was innocent, yet he was saddled with millions in damages and a decades–long prison sentence.
The case was the most–watched trial in New York in a decade, for one simple reason: the plaintiff’s counsel was the legal world’s undefeated legend, Abby Monroe. The defendant’s counsel was me, the rising star.
This was Abby’s hundredth case. She had publicly boasted that she would make me suffer a humiliating defeat.
At the time, Ethan and I were still newlyweds. I was drowning, juggling work and home life, poring over legal texts until my hair fell out in clumps. But I found it–the key piece of evidence that could overturn the whole case.
I was ecstatic. I called the victim’s family, worked with them to convince a key witness to testify. Everything was finally turning in our favor.
Chapter 1
14:00
I couldn’t wait to tell Ethan. He was reviewing financial reports, and his hand paused mid–air. He looked up slowly, but there was no
joy for me in his eyes.
“Charlotte, stop digging. You’re exhausted.”
I didn’t catch the hidden meaning in his words. I went to him, taking his hand, my voice full of the warmth of a new bride. “Honey,
this is the most important case of my life. No matter how hard it is, I have to clear my client’s name. The trial is tomorrow. You
have to wish me luck!”
He shot up from his chair, yanking his hand from mine without a word.
The next morning, I knew something was wrong. The key evidence was gone. The digital backup had been wiped.
A cold sweat broke out on my skin. I couldn’t imagine who could have cracked my password. It was too late to call the police; I had
no choice but to go to court and fight with what I had left.
