Chapter 1
The Courtroom
December 20, 2023
The courtroom doors creaked open, and everyone inside fell silent. The judge, an older man with glasses, tapped his gavel, signaling for the hearing to begin. The air felt heavy, and the sound of rain hitting the windows made everything feel even more intense. The storm outside seemed to match the tension inside.
“All rise,” the bailiff’s voice was firm.
The people in the courtroom stood, their eyes fixed on the woman at the center of it all — Zoya. She walked into the room, handcuffed, her head down, looking lost in her own world. Her black dress was slightly damp from the rain, and her hair hung in messy strands around her face. She didn’t seem to notice the eyes on her, the whispers that followed her every step.
Zoya walked slowly, her hands tightly clasped in front of her, her body stiff but exhausted, as though she was carrying the weight of the entire world on her shoulders. She didn’t look at anyone, her focus entirely inward. The room felt like it was miles away, as if she were trapped in her own thoughts. Every footstep echoed in the silence, each one louder than the last. Zoya didn’t immediately recognize the voice, but it made her stop. It sounded so familiar, yet distant. As the words lingered in the air, her body froze. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked up without thinking.
There, standing across from her, was the last person she ever expected to see in a place like this.
The man who had once known her. He was now standing in front of her, dressed in a sharp black suit, his face unreadable. His eyes, which once held warmth and tenderness, were cold now. His jaw was tight with determination, his posture strong, every inch of him a lawyer now. Not the man who had known her in past , but the man who was here to make her pay for what she had done.
Zoya’s breath caught in her throat. She felt a rush of emotions she wasn’t prepared for. Memories of their time together flooded her mind. But those memories felt distant now, like they belonged to another life.
Her gaze dropped to the floor, unable to meet his eyes again. She couldn’t face him.The room felt smaller. The rain outside felt louder. And Zoya, standing in the center of it all, felt more alone than ever.
