Chapter 16'
366 Words
The courtroom was colder than Mara expected.
She stood beside Sean at counsel table, papers arranged precisely in front of her, and watched the jury file in.
Her heartbeat was steady.
Surprisingly steady.
Sean glanced at her.
"You're ready."
It wasn't a question.
She nodded.
"I am."
"Good."
The judge entered.
Everyone stood.
And then the Halloran trial began.
For the first two hours, Mara barely breathed.
Sean was different in court.
Not colder.
Sharper.
Every word deliberate.
Every movement calculated.
He commanded the room without ever raising his voice.
Mara understood, watching him, why people spoke about him the way they did.
This wasn't simply skill.
It was instinct.
He could feel where the room was moving before anyone else realized it had shifted.
And when it was finally her turn, she stood.
Her hands were steady.
She walked to the evidence display.
"Let's start with April third."
The jury listened.
Mara walked them through the timeline.
March inspection.
April change order.
Courier record.
April eleventh.
The contradiction.
Piece by piece.
She didn't rush.
She didn't look at Sean.
She didn't need to.
She knew he was behind her.
She knew he trusted her.
And that knowledge steadied her.
When she finished, she returned to the table.
Sean leaned slightly toward her.
"Perfect."
Two words.
Barely audible.
But Mara felt them.
She didn't look at him.
"Thank you."
The trial continued.
By the end of the first day, Mara was exhausted.
But as they stepped outside the courthouse, she realized something.
She wasn't nervous anymore.
She belonged here.
Not because Sean had chosen her.
Not because Ashford & Cole had given her a chance.
Because she'd earned her place.
She looked at Sean.
He was watching her.
What?"
"Nothing."
"You're staring."
His mouth curved slightly.
"Maybe I'm thinking."
"About the case?"
His eyes stayed on hers.
"Something like that."
Her heart skipped.
Then a car horn broke the moment.
Sean stepped back.
"Get some sleep."
You too."
"I'll try."
He walked toward the waiting car.
Mara watched him go.
And for the first time, she wondered if perhaps he was starting to realize that she wasn't waiting anymore.
Maybe that was what finally frightened him.
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