The darkness that settled over the property the night before the trial felt different. It wasn’t the peaceful, quiet country dark I had grown to love over the past few weeks; it felt heavy, thick with anticipation, like the oppressive atmospheric pressure that builds right before a catastrophic summer storm. Outside, the wind rattled through the dense trees throwing long, skeletal shadows across the window panes. Inside, the silence was total, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway.
I sat on the edge of the mattress, my knees pulled tightly to my chest, watching Liam.
Ever since we knew Jason was out of the hospital and back behind the iron gates of his estate, Liam’s nightly routine had evolved into something clinical, intense, and deeply disciplined
