Page 170 of The Fractured

I hated that even in death, she was used as leverage to fix my problem.

At least she wasn’t here to see all of this.

Footsteps echoed in the hall outside the cell, and I stood expectantly.

The courtroom officers came into view. One unlocked the door, and the other walked into the cell to cuff my wrists before they escorted me back to the courtroom. My heart was in my throat the entire time.

Ms. Davis stood at our table as I entered the room. The look on her face gave away nothing about how she felt about my chances. Her track record of getting Antonio out of sticky situations in the past had never failed. It’s why Julia, his wife, had suggested I accept the lawyer for myself.

“Breathe,” she muttered once I reached the desk. “You look tense.”

“Can you blame me?” I waited for the officer to remove the cuffs and leave. “This isn’t gonna be good…”

“You don’t know that.”

I inhaled slowly, remaining on my feet as the judge entered the room. It didn’t take him long to call up the jury foreman.

My heart was no longer in my throat. It seemed to have stopped completely. I wouldn’t be surprised if I looked down and found it on the floor. Alongside my stomach.

I looked down and closed my eyes, trying to think of something else to focus on. Lily was the first and only thing that came to my mind. That woman had saved my life in her own small way. She had given me something to fight and live for.

The judge’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “How do you find?”

“For the charges of aggravated harassment in the second degree, we find the defendant guilty.”

That verdict wasn’t a surprise. It covered everything on record of me intimidating someone. From threatening a cop to Aiden’s assault.

I took the hit with my jaw clenched, nodding faintly as I prepared for the next one.

Ms. Davis briefly placed a hand on my shoulder in reassurance.

“For all charges related to Mr. Moretto’s involvement with Mr. Gimello’s fighting ring and the illegal work outside of that fighting ring, we, the jury, find the defendant not guilty.”

There was a silent shift in the room. And a few disgruntled murmurs from the opposing side.

I paused and fought hard to keep any look of shock from my face as I glanced at Ms. Davis to make sure I heard correctly.

She gave me the subtlest of winks and fixed her attention forward.

I wasn’t sure if I imagined it. Had they heard what was said in every testimony? Did they even consider my record?

The judge finalized the moment with my punishment regarding the aggravated harassment charge — twenty-four months under house arrest, a one-thousand-dollar fine, and community service. For aggravated assault. What I did should’ve gotten me at least a year in prison, not house arrest.

I was struggling to believe any of it was real as I took a seat again, breathing a heavy sigh before I looked at the judge.

Based on his expression, he didn’t exactly believe the verdict either, but he tapped the anvil anyway.

I pushed open the door of the small and empty room, tugging my tie loose and unbuttoning my collar as I went. “What the fuck just happened?”

Ms. Davis, ever calm and professional, strode in behind me with her black briefcase in hand and a look of confidence on her face. “Antonio protected his assets.” She closed the door and sent me a knowing look.

It took me a second to realize what she meant.

“The jury. They were—”

“Smart people. Just don’t mention it to anyone.”

“I’m free because of another crime.”