DAMIEN POV
I woke before the guards came.
Dawn light filtered through the small window of my cell. Gray. Cold. The kind of morning that felt like an ending.
Today I'd take the stand.
Today I'd tell twelve strangers why I'd helped Elena dispose of a body, knowing it was illegal, knowing I'd likely end up here.
I sat on the edge of my bunk, head in my hands, trying to organize my thoughts.
What would I say? How did I explain that sometimes love makes you do stupid things? That sometimes protecting someone matters more than protecting yourself?
Breakfast came. I forced myself to eat. Needed the energy.
"Big day, Cross," the guard said. "You're testifying, right?"
"Yeah."
"Good luck. For what it's worth, I think you got a raw deal. System doesn't care why you did something. Just that you did it."
"Thanks."
He left me alone.
At 7:30, they came to transport me. Same routine civilian clothes, handcuffs, van ride through the city.
