“Now you’re scaring me.”
“We’re engaged.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I understood you correctly.”
“And we need to set a date as soon as possible to notify the judge…”
“A date?”
“Our…er… wedding date.”
“What… is this a joke?”
I wish it were, but I keep it to myself.
“The judge wanted guarantees, and I… I gave them to him.”
“What did you do?!”
“Time. I gave you time.”
“But you… But I… I mean, we’re not…”
“Whether you like it or not, we are a couple now.”
“A couple? You and me?”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t… But… Why!?”
This time, I’m the one who sighs. I want to tell Seth how Emily’s crying affected me. I want to explain what Mason’s screams drove me to do. And I’d like to say what Logan’s terrified eyes did to me, but I can’t. Those memories won’t let me go, and they have nothing to do with this case.
“Because it was the only way to keep the children from being taken away from you.”
Rowan
“Oh my God, oh my God.” Seth continues to breathe with the help of a paper bag, between one ‘Oh my God’ and another. “We lied to a judge. We will be charged with perjury.”
“We’re not going to be charged with anything.”
“You’re right.” Seth lets go of the bag. “You,” he says, rising from his chair and pointing a finger at me. “You will be charged. You… Oh, my God.” He leans back and picks up the bag.
“Just think about breathing for now.”
Seth nods, envelope in hand.
“What the hell…” Paul says between his teeth but freezes when I point my head at Seth. Paul grabs my arm and pulls me towards the door of an empty courtroom, where we’ve practically hidden. “What were you thinking?”
“It was instinctive.”
“Instinct, you say?”
“The judge had already made up his mind, Paul. Nothing would change it.”
“You could have let that go and concentrated on the trial.”
“You don’t understand.”
