Nora gently squeezed his arm before giving me a look filled with fake sympathy.
“She looks exhausted,” she said softly. “Poor thing.”
My attorney, Marcus Hale, leaned toward me.
“Are you ready?”
I looked toward the judge.
Then I looked back at Julian.
“Yes.”
Slowly…
I stood.
The atmosphere inside the courtroom changed instantly.
Reporters from the legal press lifted their cameras.
The room became silent.
For the first time all morning…
Julian looked uncertain.
Without saying a word, I slipped off my gray coat.
A wave of disbelief swept across the courtroom.
Long pale scars stretched across my shoulders, ribs, and arms.
They weren’t small marks.
They were impossible to ignore.
Visible reminders of years Julian believed money and influence had erased forever.
Nora’s confident smile disappeared.
Julian’s face lost all color.
The judge leaned forward.
“Mrs. Vance…”
I placed both hands firmly on the table.
My voice remained calm.
“This is no longer simply a divorce hearing.”
I paused.
“It is the trial of every crime… every lie… and every secret he believed would stay buried forever.”
Julian’s breathing caught.
“Iris… don’t.”
For the first time in ten years…
I smiled.
