“I suggest you listen for a moment, Mrs. Brooks,” Sterling said, his tone smooth and entirely devoid of empathy. “I am currently looking at your medical file, and I am looking at the police report.”

“How do you have my medical file?” I demanded.

“That is irrelevant,” Sterling said. “What is relevant is how this will look in a court of law.”

He paused, letting the silence hang.

“My client is an elderly woman,” Sterling continued. “You have a documented history of severe anxiety and postpartum depression following the birth of your daughter.”

My grip tightened on the phone.

“Are you threatening me?” I asked.

“I am offering you a choice,” Sterling said. “If you proceed with these criminal charges, we will be forced to present a defense that details your unstable mental history.”

He cleared his throat.

“We will argue that the incident in the kitchen was a tragic accident,” he said. “An accident caused by your own erratic behavior and physical aggression toward an elderly woman who was merely trying to protect herself.”

“That is a lie,” I whispered.