Chapter 10
The next few weeks were a blur.
The media descended on our small town like vultures. Reporters camped outside our house. Microphones were shoved in our faces everywhere we went.
"Colonel Vance, how did it feel to shoot a Navy SEAL?"
"Lila, did you know Jake Carter was abusive?"
"Sarah, why did you wait so long to come forward?"
We stayed inside as much as possible. My parents were in shock—first that I was alive, then that Lila's fiancé was an abuser, then that I'd shot him.
My father took it the hardest.
"I should have known," he kept saying, pacing the living room. "I should have seen it. I was so happy that Lila had found someone... I didn't look close enough."
"It's not your fault, Dad," I said for the hundredth time. "He was good at hiding it. He fooled everyone."
But my father blamed himself. And I think a part of him blamed me too. For being gone. For not being there to protect Lila.
The trial was set for six months later. Military court. Carter was facing multiple charges: assault on a superior officer, assault and battery, stalking, unlawful possession of a firearm on private property, and a host of other charges related to his abuse of Sarah and the other women.
He pleaded not guilty.
His defense strategy was simple: paint me as a rogue soldier who'd faked her own death and was now framing an American hero to cover up her own crimes. Paint Lila as a confused young woman who'd been manipulated by her long-lost sister. Paint Sarah and the other women as liars with grudges.
It was ugly.
Every day, new rumors leaked. New lies.
"Colonel Vance suffered from PTSD. She's unstable."
"Lila Vance was cheating on Jake. She made up the abuse to cover her tracks."
"Sarah Jenkins was fired from her teaching job for inappropriate behavior. She's not credible."
I watched Lila withdraw into herself. She stopped eating. Stopped sleeping. She'd sit in her room for hours, staring at the wall.
Sarah came over every day. She'd sit with Lila. Talk to her. Bring her food. She was a rock.
But I could see the toll it was taking on all of us.
One night, I found Lila in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water. Her hands were shaking so bad she could barely hold the glass.
"I can't do this, Elena," she whispered. "I can't go to court. I can't stand up there and tell everyone what he did. What he said. I can't have everyone looking at me like I'm... like I'm broken."
I put my arms around her.
"You don't have to be strong all the time," I said. "It's okay to be scared. It's okay to hurt. But you are not broken, Lila. You are the strongest person I know. And you are not alone in this. I'm here. Mom and Dad are here. Sarah is here. We're all with you."
She cried into my shoulder.
"What if they believe him?" she asked. "What if they think I'm lying?"
"Then they're wrong," I said. "We have the truth on our side. And we have each other. That's more than enough."
But I was scared too.
Scared that Carter's charm would work on the jury. Scared that his status as a SEAL would make them overlook his crimes. Scared that he'd get off and come after us again.
I went to my room and called Marcus.
"How are we looking?" I asked.
"The evidence is solid," he said. "The text messages. Sarah's testimony. The airport surveillance footage. The other women. It's all there. But Elena... his defense team is good. They're going to try to tear you apart on the stand. They're going to bring up the fake death. The black ops missions. The classified stuff you can't talk about. They're going to make you look like a liar and a killer."
"I can handle it," I said.
"Can you?" Marcus asked gently. "Because if you break on the stand, the whole case falls apart. And Carter walks."
I looked at my reflection in the window. I looked tired. Older than my years.
"I have to handle it," I said. "For Lila. For Sarah. For all the women he hurt. I can't let him win."
Marcus was quiet for a moment.
"I believe in you," he said. "And for what it's worth... I think Lila does too. Even if she's scared right now."
"Thanks, Marcus."
"Get some sleep," he said. "You're going to need it."
I hung up and looked out the window at the dark sky.
May you like
The trial was coming.
And everything was on the line.
