Jalen’s POV

Morning was filled with so much relief and hope, and my hopes were getting high. I had just ended the call with Mason; he had invited me to court for Marian's sitting. Hours later, I arrived at the courtroom that immediately felt suffocating, heavy with the weight of justice finally catching up. I sat rigidly in the gallery, my jaw clenched so tight it ached. Marian stood before the judge, her usual arrogance cracked but not entirely gone. Jude sat a few rows away, our eyes ...