“This is a lie!” Gavin shouted, his face turning red. “She set us up! Emily did this!”

“Sit down, Mr. Vance,” the judge warned, her voice dropping to a dangerous register.

The two deputies stepped forward, placing their hands on Gavin’s shoulders.

They forced him back down into his chair.

Gavin glared at me, his chest heaving, sweat dripping down his temple.

“I have seen enough,” Judge Harris said, closing her notebook.

“The evidence of systemic corporate theft, forgery, and flight risk is overwhelming.”

“Bail is denied for both defendants.”

“They will remain in custody until the trial.”

The gavel came down with a loud, final crack.

The sound echoed through the high-ceilinged room.

Gavin looked at me, his eyes wide with a mixture of rage and terror as the deputies began to lead him away.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a deputy nudged him toward the side door.

Arthur followed him, his shoulders slumped, looking like a broken man.

I let out a long breath that I felt I had been holding for months.

Daniel walked back to the gallery and sat down next to me.