His Cruel Revenge, Her Secret Child

l r

hammered against her ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage of bone. She rose with the res

ls Rory Conway

her legs to move, one step in front of the other, each one a small, shattering

s impassive faces, past the prosecutor's

in V

judge or his attorney. He was looking only at her. And in his eyes, she saw no fear, no doubt. Only a deep, unwavering trust that

d beneath her trembling hand. She swore the o

ed fist, approached. "Miss Conway, please state

iend," she managed, he

etting the words hang in the air. "And were

word was

rp and precise. "Please tell the court, who was driving

eel her father's stare from the second row, a cold

easy takeout containers were still on the table. Her brother, Cody, sat with his head in his hands, h

Helen Conway's medical bills. A sea of red i

pid, drunk kid who's going to rot in a cell for the rest of his life. But Corbin... Corbin

"You want me to lie? You want me

n't pay themselves. The experimental treatment keeping your mother stable? I control that funding. If you don't do t

d over her, so absolut

nto her bones. Her hands were clenched in her lap, nails dig

His lawyer gave her a small, encourag

g two silent words she coul

ove

n, thre

be a

the fear. It was his love. His stupid, beautiful, trusting love. A

mother's face, pale and still against a hospital pillow, t

a crack in the wall behind the judge's head. She couldn't lo

deep, shudd

voice trembling but horribly

p rippled throug

ze, cracked, and then shattered into a million piec

from him, a sound of pur

take another breath, two bailiffs were on him, one twisting his arm behind his back, the other shoving him hard back into

a small, tight smile of satisfaction on his face. Her bro

ed-a recording of a phone call, cleverly edited to make Corbin's words sound l

The world tilted, and she gripped the

The confusion was gone. All that was left was a terrifying, hollow emptiness that

a

aight ahead, his jaw set like stone, as if she had a

ence they left behind was louder than any scream. The wait felt like an eternity, each second a stone added to the weight on her chest. Then, they returned. The jury's

de of his life, s

d. He stopped. For a single, terrifying second, he stopped and lea

gainst her ear. "You better pray I rot in that prison

rozen, as they led him away, taking every b

e tears finally came, silent and scalding, in a room that had become her own persona