“Issac Monroe…?”
Natalie Pierce stared at the man standing beside her, disbelief freezing her expression in place. Her eyes—clear and luminous, like twin stars suspended in a dark sky—reflected shock, relief, and something far more fragile beneath the surface. No matter how she searched her thoughts, this was the one presence she had never anticipated in this moment.
Not here.
Not now.
Not when the entire room had already decided her guilt.
She had prepared herself to stand alone.
Issac Monroe’s hand closed gently around hers.
The gesture was simple, almost understated, yet the effect was immediate. His fingers were warm and steady, grounding her in a way words never could. When he turned to her, his lips curved into a faint smile—not reassuring in the sentimental sense, but resolut
