Briggs’ POV
I don’t belong in places like this. Not because I can’t sit through them, or because I don’t understand them. But because I don’t need them.
Courtrooms are controlled chaos, rules pretending to hold power, when in reality, power decides which rules matter. And I’ve never needed permission to move.
Still, I’m here.
Standing at the back of the courtroom, hands loosely in my pockets, quiet enough to disappear into the room, but not unnoticed.
My attention isn’t on anyone, but her. Lumi. She’s still sitting even after the judge has left. Her hands are still, her face composed. But I can see the tension, restraint, the way she’s holding everything together by force.
“She’s holding it together…” The thought settles slowly. “…but not for long.”
Interesting.
I shift slightly wh
