Zoe
Alvarez called on a Tuesday morning, his voice carrying the particular gravity that told me before he even said the words that this call mattered more than the usual case updates we'd grown accustomed to over these past weeks.
"Trial date's set," he said. "Six weeks out. And Zoe, I need to be straight with you. The prosecution wants you to testify."
My stomach dropped, old fear resurfacing despite months of relative peace since Cole's arrest. "Testify. In court. Facing him."
"You wouldn't be alone," Alvarez said gently. "But your testimony, about the video confession, about everything you uncovered, it strengthens the case significantly. Cole's lawyers are good, and I don't want to leave anything to chance given everything it's taken to get here."
I sat with that for a long moment
