Layla's Pov
The air outside the courthouse felt different.
Not just because the lawsuit had been dismissed, but because—for the first time in weeks—I could finally breathe. Truly breathe.
There was a crispness to it. A strange kind of stillness, like the world had hit pause for just a second, allowing me to stand in the center of it all and exist without the weight of accusation.
Reporters lined the sidewalk like vultures in tailored suits. Microphones were pointed like weapons, and the soft murmur of anticipation buzzed through the crowd like static electricity. I stood tall, chin up, next to Damian. Our hands brushed as if they were strangers too afraid to intertwine.
I wasn’t ready for comfort just yet. Not even his. Today, I needed to stand on my own.
I looked up at the sky—stil
