Chapter 80

• I stood, smoothing out the front of my blazer as I made my way toward the witness stand. I kept my chin high, my expression calm and collected, though every nerve in my body was on fire.
• As I walked past Melanie, I gave her a forced smile—one that barely masked the satisfaction I felt at what was about to happen. She smirked back, confident as ever, but I saw the slight tension in her eyes. She knew I was about to challenge everything she had built in this case.
• This was not my first, second or third time standing against Melanie in court, we were age-long rivals and how it began is a story for another day. I knew her too well and I was going to use that to my advantage today.