Her hair, usually perfectly coiffed, was pulled back in a simple, untidy bun.

She did not look at the gallery, where Liam and I sat in the second row.

Darrow sat next to his own lawyer, looking older and much smaller than he had in the basement of the charity hall.

The prosecutor, a sharp-eyed woman named Sarah Vance—no relation to Liam—presented the state’s case with a methodical, quiet fury.

She showed the jury the photographs of the charred charity hall.

She produced the financial records that proved Beatrice had embezzled millions from the family trust and the charity itself.

Then came the physical evidence: the gasoline cans, the matches, and the forensic reports proving the fire was intentionally set.

But the turning point of the trial came when Chloe took the stand.

She walked slowly, her head down, refusing to look at her mother.

When she spoke, her voice was quiet but clear, echoing through the silent courtroom.

“My mother told me that if Audrey died, the trust would revert entirely to us,” Chloe said, her hands trembling as she gripped the edge of the witness stand.