Emma
The second my boots hit the pavement, cameras exploded.
“Emma! Is Jake Steele the father?”
“Mrs. Blackwell, were you having an affair?”
“Did you fabricate the abuse allegations?”
I froze.
Not because I didn’t know this was coming.
Because hearing strangers say Derek’s lie out loud made it real in a way a fake report on Sophia’s laptop hadn’t.
Jake stepped down beside me, immediately angling his body between me and the reporters.
“Back up.”
His voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be.
I caught his arm.
“No.”
Jake looked at me.
“I’m walking in.”
Something changed in his eyes.
Pride.
“Then I’m beside you.”
Dr. Chen and Raven joined us while Nash moved ahead to clear a path. Reporters shouted from both sides, but I kept my eyes on the courthouse doors.
Twenty-one days a
