“I don’t defend criminals,” I said, smoothing the black fabric over my shoulders. “I sentence them.” But before I could deliver that verdict, I had
Year: 2026
The silence inside the chambers of a United States Federal Judge is not merely the absence of noise; it is a physical weight. It is
Chapter 1: The Consultation of Narcissus “I want to look better than this hag my boyfriend is married to.” The words hung in the sterile
My mother didn’t shed a single tear when my father walked out. Not when the door enough to rattle the windows. Not when she removed
My mother insisted she could take care of my daughter for a few hours while I attended a family dinner. When I returned, she was
Amanda stumbled forward, her guests oblivious to the tension cracking the air like ice beneath thin shoes. She forced a tight smile, lips barely moving.
They mocked me for being the son of a woman who collected recyclables. But at graduation, one sentence from me… was enough to make the
Claire and Daniel had been married for three years. To everyone else, they looked like the perfect couple—Daniel was gentle, hardworking, attentive. But there was
The sunlight slicing through the penthouse bedroom isn’t warm, not even a little. It’s the kind of bright that feels like a spotlight, cold and
You don’t become Alejandro Montenegro by trusting people. You become him by surviving people. You grow up learning that love can smile at you while