Behind her, she heard Sophia’s soft intake of breath, she knew her darling was searching for words of comfort. But right now, the space between them all felt vast and was growing wider, like watching their case’s foundation crack before they’d even begun building.

---

The courthouse lobby expanded around them, leaving them exposed as each footstep echoed like accusations.

“I can salvage this,” Daniel said suddenly, his voice carrying that edge of control that usually steadied her. His hands moved through the air, mapping out strategy even as his body angled toward the exit. “If I work up a supplemental brief on voir dire violations, cite United States v. Marshall for systemic bias in jury pools… ”

“Right.” The single syllable stretched thin between them, her tone cold enough to freeze the entire city. “Because more paper is exactly what we need.”