The courtroom felt like it was shrinking, the walls closing in as the judge's gaze remained fixed on Mateo. My heart was a frantic bird trapped in my chest, but Marcus, our lawyer, didn't miss a beat. He stood up, his presence commanding the room, cutting through the silence like a blade.

"Mr. Rossi's silence isn't a confession of fraud, Your Honor," Marcus said, his voice smooth and dangerous. "It is the silence of a man who chose a child over a biological technicality. For thirteen years, Mateo Rossi has been the only shield between Lucian and a world that didn't want him. If Rafiq truly loved his son, where...