Because of Sonia, because he believed he had failed her. Respect stirred in me, unexpected.
Most powerful men blamed others when they lost.
Anderson blamed himself. I sat beside him.
“Mr. Shelton,” I said softly, “you told me yourself the law follows evidence, not the defendant’s pain. You did nothing wrong.”
He didn’t answer.
So I continued. “If anyone deserves blame, then blame the law for being too rigid... and blame fate for being cruel.”
A bitter smile touched my lips. “That’s what I told myself once.”
My wolf went still. I rarely spoke of those years.
“I ended up there because I was unlucky. I only had to survive five years. Eventually it would pass.”
The words sounded simple, but they were lies.
Only I knew what those five years had truly cost me. The nights I stared at wa
