My son and daughter-in-law laughed when I walked into the courtroom. “Ha-ha, now we’re going to leave her with nothing,” Daniel whispered, certain the bruises they had put on my body would convince the judge I was confused, unstable, and hurting myself, but they had forgotten one important thing about me.

My shoulder struck the wall.

The sound made Vanessa flinch in court.

On the recording, Daniel immediately said, “Mom, why did you step backward like that?”

That sentence mattered.

He had begun creating his defense before I even recovered my balance.

Judge Mercer understood.

I could see it in his eyes.

So could Curtis.

His face had gone rigid.

“Your Honor,” Curtis said, “I need a brief recess to speak with my client.”

“Not yet.”

Judge Mercer looked at me.

“The injury above your eyebrow.”

I swallowed.

That one was harder.

Not because it hurt more.

Because Robert’s office had been untouched since his death.

His reading glasses still sat beside the lamp.

One unfinished crossword puzzle remained folded in the top drawer.

Daniel knew that room was sacred to me.

He went in anyway.

I played the final clip.

Daniel was opening drawers.

Vanessa stood beside him carrying folders.