The legal nightmare she found herself in the middle of had been dragging for what felt like forever. Every single hearing had reopened wounds from the past. The rumors, the news, the blame game, everything stripped her of the person she once was. She recalled clearly how, once upon a time, Daniel and she were a dream team. Together, they created their technology company from scratch, working late nights and having ambitious ideas.
But now it all turned into a nightmare she struggled to wake up from.
When money began disappearing from the accounts, she was the one to be blamed. Out of the blue, “proof” came up, a bunch of documents and transactions she knew nothing about. According to Daniel, that was proof enough of her guilt and the cops bought it. Her friends and her partners ghosted her and her marriage came to an end.
While the legal part drained her emotionally and financially, it was the betrayal that really broke her.
Daniel knew exactly what kind of a person she was, yet, at court, he did his best to portray her as a criminal who deserved her time in jail. Overnight, everyone was convinced she was guilty of everything she was charged of. Not only she lost her career she worked so hard to built, but she also lost her children. Lily grew up believing the rumors, and Noah was too young to understand what was going on.
Now, six years later, the endless saga was finally wrapping up.
The judge was about to make his final ruling. She sat there, utterly drained while Daniel sat on the other side of the aisle. He was looking as confident as ever, practicing his good old lines. Everyone was convinced she was doomed and the verdict seemed like an open and shut case.
Suddenly, however, the tables were turned.
Out of nowhere, Noah walked into the courtroom. He was no longer a toddler. During the six years he was away from his mother, he grew into a young boy. Everyone was surprised by his presence, and he, without turning his head on the sides, walked straight towards his mother, and it confused everyone.
At first, it looked like a gesture a kid would do for his mother when she’s at her lowest, but that wasn’t the case. He seemed confident, determined, and as though he had a goal in his mind.
