Suddenly, my breath starts coming in short.
“Mia,” Isaak warns, “now is not the time.”
You try telling a panic attack that now is not the freaking time!
I force myself to breathe like I was taught. In, hold, out. In, hold, out. I pretend Yulian’s by my side, squeezing my hand. It’s not enough, but it’ll just have to do.
“Mr. Lee,” Smithers begins. “How would you characterize Ms. Winters as a mother?”
Lee’s eyes lock with mine. I swallow the lump in my throat.
Please,I whisper in my heart.Please, don’t take my son from me.
“Ms. Winters is…” He hesitates, clears his throat. “… an exemplary mother.”
Wait, what?
Smithers is thrown for a loop. Brad looks like he’d love nothing more than to throw something—possibly his own witness—but his lawyer is, thankfully, standing in the way.
“Is that a fact?” Smithers asks.
“It’s what I’ve been able to observe.” Lee’s gaze sweeps the audience. “She’s a hardworking single mother who’s been able to provide for her child without interruption. She’s even-tempered, patient, and attentive to his unique needs. Eli could do worse. Many kids do.”
The courtroom starts spinning again, but for a whole different reason. It’s not anxiety—it’s pure shellshock. Howard Lee, resident thorn in my behind,taking my side?
I glance out the window, but there are no pigs in the sky. Yet.
Isaak’s lips curve into a faint smirk. This testimony is an unexpected gift—he’s going to milk it for all it’s worth.
But then a sinister light shines in Smithers’s eyes. “Sounds like you’re quite fond of her,” he counters expertly. “Almost to the point of bias.”
“Objection!” Isaak calls out. “If counsel’s so eager to testify, Your Honor, I’ve no qualms about putting him on the stand. Or, better yet, his client.”
The judge waves her hand dismissively. “Less theatrics, Mr. Noskov, but—sustained.”
“I’ll rephrase.” Smithers approaches the witness stand. “Isn’t it true, Mr. Lee, that you’re biased for the defendant?”
Lee doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he does something I’d never expect him to.
Hesnorts.
Smithers’s brow knits. “Something funny?”
“Not really.”
“Then you won’t mind answering the question.”
“I don’t.”
“Well, then…”
He sighs, visibly exasperated. “I am not biased for the defendant.” His bloodhound gaze cuts a sharp line to Brad. “In fact, if I were, I’d tell the court not to let her child within two feet of that psychopath who calls himself his father.”
Oh. My. God.
I can’t believe my ears. If this is a dream, I never want to wake up. Did Howard Lee seriously just say that? In a court of freaking law? To Brad’sface?
“Holy shit,” Nikita whispers. “Should we call 911? ‘Cause I think I just witnessed a murder.”
