Court

The courtroom was silent, the kind of silence that pressed against the walls and made every cough, every scrape of a chair sound deafening.

Chloe sat rigid at the plaintiff’s table, her posture perfect, her chin slightly raised as though she could will herself to look untouchable. But her eyes betrayed her, flickering with unease as she glanced toward the other side of the room.

There sat Tessa, calm but unyielding, her presence steady beside Ayisha. Both women were dressed simply, ...