An arrogant Navy SEAL slammed me against the wall in a military airport lounge and called me a civilian. He had no idea he was putting his hands on his new commanding officer.

The first day of trial was a circus.

The courthouse was surrounded by reporters. Protesters on both sides—some holding signs that said "JUSTICE FOR VANCE WOMEN" and others that said "FREE JAKE CARTER, AMERICAN HERO."

We walked into the courthouse through a side entrance, flanked by security. Lila held my hand so tight her knuckles turned white. Sarah walked on her other side, equally tense. My parents followed behind, my father's face like stone.

Inside the courtroom, the air was thick with tension.

Carter was brought in wearing a prison uniform, his arm in a sling from the gunshot wound. He looked thinner. Paler. But his eyes were still the same—cold, arrogant, angry.

He looked right at Lila and smiled.

She flinched.

I put my arm around her. "Don't look at him. Look at me. I'm right here."

The judge entered. The trial began.

The prosecution went first. They laid out the evidence—the airport incident, Sarah's testimony, the text messages, the other women. It was powerful. Compelling.

Then the defense got their turn.

Carter's lawyer was a shark. Sharp, ruthless, well-dressed. He started with me.

"Colonel Vance," he said, standing in front of the witness stand. "You faked your own death three years ago, isn't that correct?"

"I had to protect my family," I said.

"Answer the question, Colonel. Yes or no."

"Yes."

"You lied to your own parents. To your sister. To the entire United States Army. You let them grieve for you. For three years."

"I did what was necessary."

"Necessary," he repeated, turning to the jury. "You hear that, ladies and gentlemen? This woman thinks lying to everyone she loves is 'necessary.' What else does she think is necessary? Framing an innocent man? Shooting him in cold blood?"

"Objection!" the prosecutor shouted.

"Sustained," the judge said.

The defense lawyer turned back to me.

"Colonel Vance, you've spent seventeen years in covert operations. You've been trained to lie. To deceive. To manipulate. Isn't that true?"

"I've been trained to complete missions," I said. "To protect my country. To protect innocent people."

"Innocent people like Jake Carter?" he sneered. "You shot him, Colonel. You shot an unarmed man—"

"He was armed with a rifle," I said, my voice rising. "He was hunting us. He threatened to kill us."

"Your word against his," the lawyer said. "And we already know how much your word is worth, don't we? You lied about being dead for three years. Why should the jury believe anything you say now?"

I looked at the jury. Some of them were looking at me with suspicion. Doubt.

I kept my face neutral. My voice steady.

"Because the evidence supports me," I said. "The text messages. Sarah's testimony. The other women. The surveillance footage from the airport. The rifle found at the scene. All of it points to Jake Carter's guilt. Not my deception."

The lawyer tried to rattle me. He asked me about classified missions. About the people I'd killed. About the "kill list" he claimed I kept.

But I didn't break.

I answered every question calmly. Honestly. I admitted to faking my death. I admitted to shooting Carter. I explained why.

When I finally stepped down from the stand, Marcus gave me a small nod of approval.

But I knew the worst was yet to come.

Lila was next.

She walked to the stand slowly, her legs shaking. She raised her right hand and swore to tell the truth.

Carter's lawyer smiled. He could smell blood.

"Ms. Vance," he said, walking toward her. "You were very much in love with Jake Carter, weren't you?"

Lila looked at Carter. Then she looked away.

"Yes," she whispered.

"You were going to marry him. Start a family. Spend the rest of your life with him."

"Yes."

"And then your sister came back from the dead," he said, his voice dripping with sympathy. "Suddenly, this woman you thought was gone forever was back in your life. And she didn't like the man you loved. She told you he was abusive. She manipulated you into believing terrible things about the man you loved. Isn't that true?"

Lila's face crumpled. "No. That's not true."

"Isn't it?" he pressed. "You yourself said Jake was wonderful to you. He opened doors. He brought you flowers. He treated you like a queen. And then Elena came along and poisoned your mind against him."

"Objection!"

"Sustained."

The lawyer backed off, but not before he'd planted the seed.

Lila looked at me. Her eyes were full of fear. Full of doubt.