Chapter 4 - The Tables Turn
The heavy oak doors at the back of the courtroom burst open, though no new deputies entered—the federal marshals stationed outside had already been briefed by Evelyn’s legal team. Two armed officers moved swiftly down the center aisle, their heavy boots thudding against the carpet with terrifying finality.
"No—wait, this is a mistake! You can't do this!" Jamal shouted, stumbling backward as the marshals grabbed his arms, snapping cold steel handcuffs around his wrists with a sharp click. The gold watch he loved to flash caught the fluorescent courtroom light as he was shoved against the wooden partition.
Brittany let out a piercing, hysterical shriek, bursting into frantic tears as she clutched her pregnant belly. "Jamal! Oh god, Jamal! Mom, do something! Dad, make them stop!"
My mother rushed forward, trying to grab the marshal’s sleeve, but was pushed back gently. "Please! He’s an executive! He has a baby on the way! You can't take him!" she sobbed, her lace handkerchief dropping forgotten to the floor.
Richard stood like a statue, his artificial dignity completely shattered, staring down at the floor as his golden-boy son-in-law was hauled away in irons. For years, they had worshipped status, money, and power, bowing down to whatever facade looked most impressive on the surface. Now, that exact superficial obsession had completely destroyed them.
As Jamal was dragged past my defense table, he locked eyes with me one last time. The smirk was gone, replaced by a look of sheer, unadulterated terror and pleading desperation.
"Cassidy..." he whispered, his voice cracking as the marshals pushed him toward the exit. "Please... tell them it’s a misunderstanding. We’re family..."
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I didn't smile. I didn't gloat. I simply looked him dead in the eyes, tilted my head, and repeated the exact words he had whispered to me six months earlier in my hallway: "Family helps each other, Jamal. You should have thought of that before you tried to steal my life."
The heavy doors swung shut behind them, cutting off Brittany’s hysterical sobbing and leaving a ringing, heavy silence in the courtroom.
