The doors slam open.
The sound is violent enough to crack the air, sharp as a gunshot, and it ricochets through the courtroom until every whisper, breath, and heartbeat dies mid-beat.
Light pours in from behind the two figures standing in the doorway, turning them briefly into dark silhouettes against a brighter world. For half a second, no one moves. No one speaks.
Then the taller of the two steps forward. "Stop this."
The voice is calm and not loud or theatrical. And somehow that makes it worse because it gives it a chilling impact.
"Heidi is innocent."
The name makes everyone else gasp. A loud clash of murmurs tears through the room as heads snap toward the entrance. Mutterings burst to life, overlapping and frantic.
"That's… "
"Is that…?"
"No way!"
Lucan Castell walks into the courtroom like he never left it.
