Chapter 81

Hidden Agendas

Isabelle's POV

The silence was so thick, so palpable, you could cut it with a knife in that courtroom. Then the voice of the judge finally broke the quiet, reading the verdict. It was almost as though time had slowed down—draggy, very long words. There it was, folks; the last words:

"Not guilty."

The disbelief was hard to digest. Wave upon wave of relief washed over me, and then I was numb the next moment.

We had finally won, and we were clean for sure this time. But something didn't feel quite right in this wave of relief. What was wrong?

Carlos turned to me with a mix of victory and exhaustion on his face. "We did it," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.

I nodded to him with a try at a smile. "Yeah, we did."

In a flash, Morris was beaming reassuringly upon Carlos, shaking his hand, and at my side. "That is a victory for all of us," he declared, quite assured and composed in voice but with eyes that gave a flicker, the very doubt which was gnawing at me.

As