Chapter 6
I hired a lawyer that afternoon.
She was sharp, tough, and didn't suffer fools.
She listened to my story. Reviewed everything. And then she started digging.
What she found made even her pause.
Ethan Richard Carter had a record.
Not for violence—yet.
But for fraud. For identity theft. For targeting vulnerable women.
There were three other cases. All dismissed. All because the women had been too afraid to testify.
Too ashamed.
Too broken.
"He's a predator," my lawyer said. "And he's good at what he does. He finds women who are grieving, who are alone, who have something to lose. He gains their trust. And then he takes everything."
She looked at me.
"But this time is different. This time, he made a mistake."
"What mistake?" I asked.
"He hit you," she said. "And he did it in a parking lot full of cameras. And he tried to access your accounts. And he left a paper trail."
May you like
She leaned forward.
"We're going to take him down, Hannah. And we're going to make sure he never hurts anyone else again."
