“She has the connections to push this to the press before the court clerk even opens the doors.”

“How did they even get my bank records?” I asked, my voice rising.

“They have people everywhere, Emily,” Nathan said.

“They wanted to preempt anything we might say in that room today.”

From the backseat, Rosie shifted in her booster seat.

She gave a small, soft yawn.

“Mommy?” she murmured.

“Are we at the park yet?”

I turned around, trying to force a smile onto my face.

“Not yet, sweetie,” I said, my voice shaking despite my best efforts.

“We have to go inside a big building first to talk to some people.”

“Is Nathan coming?” she asked, rubbing her eyes with her small fists.

“Yes, Rosie,” Nathan said, turning his head to look at her.

His expression softened for a fraction of a second.

“I’ll be right there with you.”

He looked back at me, his eyes returning to their cold, calculated state.

“They want us to run,” he said.

“If we turn around now, it looks like an admission of guilt.”