Claire’s voice was filled with disbelief as she questioned, “Attorney Jacobs, you, you two...”
Dylan, who had somehow appeared behind me, interjected softly, “Amira, there’s no need for all this—pretending to divorce me, bringing someone in to spite me. That case is in the past. You only lost your job as a lawyer; it’s not such a big deal. Why can’t you be as magnanimous as Claire? Why can’t you move on?”
Landon was about to respond, but I raised my hand to stop him.
“Alright,” I said, my tone was steady. “I’ll be magnanimous, and I'll move on. But you need to issue a public statement admitting that you stole my materials, causing me to lose the migrant worker case. Acknowledge that your actions led to the plaintiff’s suicide, shattering his family. If you do that, I’ll let it go and move on.”
Their faces turned pale instantly.
Several months ago, under intense public scrutiny, I had taken on a shocking miscarriage of justice. Driven by my sense of duty and responsibility as a lawyer, I knew the case would be almost impossible to win. Everyone understood that the migrant worker was innocent, yet he was wrongfully burdened with millions in compensation and decades of imprisonment.
The case became the most talked-about trial in Houston in a decade. The reason was simple—the plaintiff’s attorney was the undefeated legend of the legal world, Claire Kinsley, while I, the rookie hailed as a rising star, represented the defendant.
It was Claire’s 100th case, and she was supremely confident, declaring she would crush me beyond recognition.
At the time, I had just married Dylan. Balancing work and family, I spent sleepless nights poring over legal texts, losing clumps of hair in the process. But my efforts bore fruit when I discovered a key piece of exonerating evidence.
Ecstatic, I informed the victim’s family and worked tirelessly with them to persuade a witness to testify. Everything was moving in a promising direction.
Unable to contain my excitement, I shared the good news with Dylan. He paused, his hand frozen over the financial reports he was reading, and looked up at me. His eyes betrayed no hint of joy.
“Amira, stop digging into this case. It’s exhausting,” he spat coldly.
I missed the hidden meaning behind his words and took his hand, my tone full of newlywed tenderness. “Honey, this is the most important case of my career. No matter how hard or tiring it is, I have to clear my client’s name. The trial is tomorrow—you have to wish me success!”
Without hesitation, he stood up and brushed off my hand, then he left without a word.
The next morning, I realized something was wrong—my key evidence had disappeared, and even the backup files were deleted.
Panicked and drenched in cold sweat, I couldn’t fathom who could crack my password. Reporting it to the police was out of the question given the time constraints. Left with no choice, I headed to court, my nerves on edge.
What broke me completely was when the witness recanted on the stand.
At that moment, my mind went blank.
The judge upheld the original verdict. I couldn’t recall how I walked out of the courtroom under Claire’s mocking gaze or how I faced the barrage of reporters. All I remembered was the victim’s wife and daughter collapsing to their knees before me, wailing and questioning how this could happen.
Overwhelmed, I fled the scene and, by chance, stumbled upon Dylan and Claire.
The woman’s fingers toyed with the man’s tie, the intimacy between them unmistakable. Claire’s voice was soft and sultry as she whispered near his ear, “Dylan, thank you for destroying the evidence and giving me the witness information. I couldn’t have won this case without you. I’ll be sure to reward you properly.”
Dylan patted her head affectionately, his tone gentle. “Her wins and losses mean nothing compared to your perfect record.”
Watching the two of them bask in their sickening display of affection, I felt a wave of nausea rising.
As far as I knew, Claire was a decade older than us, a divorcee with a child from her previous marriage.
The noise of my presence startled them, and they turned in unison, their eyes locking onto my pale, stricken face in the distance.
