The gavel hit the block with a single sharp crack.
It was done.
Roderick sagged in his chair. Petra stared at the floor. Agnes rose slowly, dignity hollowed out. The three left the courtroom in tense silence.
Tamsin remained seated for another moment, letting the storm settle behind her ribs. Her attorney leaned in, whispering, “You handled this with brilliance.”
Tamsin gave a small, real smile. “It was necessary.”
She stepped outside where sunlight washed the courthouse steps in soft gold. The warmth touched her face gently. Not triumphant. Not symbolic. Simply present. Simply real.
And as she walked away, she felt something she had not felt in years.
Freedom.
