At 3:45, we were back in the courtroom, sitting in our respective seats, except Andrew and Aunt Rose had moved to sit in the front row with us. We had spent the entire recess discussing what the defense was possibly going to say to make the jury believe Liam hadn't killed Julia in cold blood.

"Did Julia have a gun?" Andrew had whispered, leaning over his burger and fries so I could hear him.

"No! I mean, not that I know of," I conceded. "She had never mentioned having a gun, and that would be the kind of thing she'd have told me." Then again, there was a lot she had never told me. 

Now as we sat in the courtroom, just minutes before the defense was set to start its case, I was again second guessing myself. I spent the next fifteen minutes lost in thought. I didn't even notice when they brought Liam back into the room.

The back doors opened, and we all rose as Judge Bradley and the bailiff entered. When he took his seat, we all followed suit. He banged his gavel on the bench one time and spoke. "Court is back in session. I want to mention that the defendant has the right not to testify, and the jury will not hold it against the defendant if he does not. Now, is the defense ready with its case?"

Mr. Robbins stood. "Yes, sir. I call the defendant, Liam Covington." Andrew felt my body tense and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him.

Liam stood and walked confidently to the witness stand, and I felt my stomach lurch. He put his hand on the Bible, and he swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and I snorted. I didn't believe he'd tell any part of the truth.

"Mr. Covington, will you state your occupation for the jury?"

He smirked. "Until the last few months, I was a psychiatrist."

"I see. And please state your relationship to Julia Stone," Mr. Robbins asked, perching on the edge of his table.

"She was one of my patients," Liam answered, and I waited for him to reveal the rest of his relationship with Julia.

He didn't.

Mr. Robbins cocked his head. "Did you have a relationship with Ms. Stone?"

Liam's eyes flickered to the right, then back to Mr. Robbins. "No. I absolutely did not."

My jaw dropped so far, I thought it was going to hit the floor. I started to stand, but Andrew pulled me back down and shook his head. "Shh."

"But he's lying," I hissed into his ear.

"I know. And DA Murphy knows that too. Just hang on, Char."

I clenched my teeth and fumed.

Mr. Robbins was speaking again. "Did Ms. Stone have romantic feelings for you?"

"Yes, she did."

"Did you reciprocate those feelings?"

"I did not."

I glared at him, not believing what I was hearing.

"Did Julia Stone ever threaten you?"

"Yes, she did."

"How so?"

"She sent me threatening text messages on several occasions, and the last one I received was on May 17th."

I rolled my eyes and leaned forward, poking DA Murphy on the elbow. She turned around.

"They have no idea what he did to us on Thanksgiving!" I hissed. She put a finger to her lips.

"We can't bring up anything not related to this case," she breathed.

I sat back hard and exhaled. I knew she was right, but this was maddening. This jury had no clue what he had put us through just a few months ago.

"I would like to reference Exhibit A for the defense," Mr. Robbins was saying, as he held up a large poster board. On the poster board was a text conversation between Julia and Liam. I held my breath as Mr. Robbins read the conversation aloud to the jury.

"Julia Stone begins the conversation. 'Liam, if you don't leave Charlotte and Andrew alone, I swear to God I will kill you.' The defendant responds with, 'I still love her, and I want to win her back.'"

My stomach flipped again. Mr. Robbins continued. "Julia responds with, 'She doesn't care about you. Just forget her, or else.' At that point, my client stops responding." He turned his attention to Liam again. "Why were you in Panama City Beach on May 20th?"

Liam's face fell, and his eyes filled with tears. I rolled my eyes and elbowed Andrew. He was as disgusted as I was.

"I knew Charlotte was getting married. And I hoped to convince her to call off the wedding because..." He sniffled. "I still love her." He looked up at me and spoke to me directly. "I love you, Charlotte. I always will, even if you want nothing to do with me."

My skin went cold, and I broke out into a sweat almost immediately. Andrew pulled me closer, as close as possible without bringing me right into his lap.

"Would you ever want to hurt Charlotte Emerson?" Mr. Robbins asked, and the courtroom was silent.

"No sir, she means everything to me." Liam didn't take his eyes off me as he answered.

"Then why did you shoot at her?"

"I didn't. I shot Julia because I thought she was going to shoot me first," he said, and I couldn't believe my ears; he had confessed.

"No further questions, Your Honor."

The judge nodded. "Do you have any questions, DA Murphy?"

"I certainly do. Mr. Covington, did you ever engage in any sexual affairs with Ms. Stone?"

Liam looked like he wanted to deny it, but he nodded. "Yes."

"Oh really? But you said before that you never had a relationship with her. Did she force you to become involved romantically?"

"I—well, of course not, but—" Liam was getting flustered.

"And if Charlotte wasn't speaking to you, how did you know she was marrying Andrew Emerson here in Florida on May 20th?" DA Murphy was getting somewhere, and Liam knew it.

"I—" Liam's face was red.

"Answer the question, Mr. Covington," Judge Bradley said from the bench.

"I hacked her phone, tracked her location, and read her messages," he admitted.

For the third time that day, a murmur went through the courtroom.

DA Murphy stepped one step closer to the witness stand and leaned over, her gaze boring into Liam's.

"You shot Ms. Stone because she got in your way. Isn't that right? You wanted to kill Charlotte Emerson and her unborn child because she didn't love you and she never would. Julia Stone was simply collateral damage. Isn't that right?" DA Murphy was on fire.

"Objection!" Mr. Robbins boomed from his desk. "She is badgering my client!"

"Sustained. DA Murphy, approach the bench."

She sighed and stepped to the right. "Yes, Your Honor?"

"You will refrain from badgering the witness. The next spectacle like that will earn you a one-way ticket out of my courtroom. Understood?" The judge's tone was icy.

She inclined her head in a curt nod. "Understood, Your Honor."

"Very well. Proceed."

But Mr. Robbins spoke up behind her. "Motion to strike the last question from the record."

Judge Bradley narrowed his eyes. "Motion denied. DA Murphy, proceed."

"One last question. Did you see a weapon on Ms. Stone's person on the beach on that evening?"

Liam looked stricken. "No," he breathed, just loud enough to be heard.

"No further questions, Your Honor." She glared at Liam one last time and made her way back to her seat.

"The witness is excused," Judge Bradley said, and Liam stepped down.

I took a deep breath. Maybe the jury understood now. Maybe they could see how unbalanced Liam really was. 

The judge spoke to the jury then, reading them the law that they must follow. I understood three things from his speech: The jury had to agree that Liam shot Julia; then, in order to bring back a guilty verdict for first-degree murder, they have to agree that he planned to kill Julia; last, they must agree that the prosecution proved all of this beyond a reasonable doubt.

"Are you ready with closing arguments?"

"I am, Your Honor," DA Murphy answered.

"Yes, Your Honor," echoed Mr. Robbins.

DA Murphy stood in front of the jury, and when she spoke, her voice was strong and sure. "Your Honor, and ladies and gentlemen of the jury. You've heard quite a lot in your time in the courtroom today. The defense would have you believe that Julia Stone was obsessed with Mr. Covington, she was a threat to his life, and that she posed an immediate threat on May 20th of this year. And that Liam Covington had no choice but to shoot her. But ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I plead with you to consider the facts: by his own admission, Liam Covington had hacked Charlotte Emerson's phone. He came to the beach with a loaded gun and shot in her direction because Mrs. Emerson refused to give in to him. The only thing Julia Stone is guilty of here is having too big of a heart—for sacrificing her life for her best friend and her unborn baby. Julia Stone was unarmed that night on the beach, and Liam Covington shot her in cold blood. Please, consider the facts. This is a simple case, an easy 'guilty' verdict. Do your duty, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you." DA Murphy took a deep breath and returned to her seat. I had tears streaming down my cheeks, and I knew I wasn't alone.

Mr. Robbins stood and approached the jury. He looked like someone had just told him Santa Claus wasn't real.

"Your Honor, and ladies and gentlemen of the jury. The prosecution wants you to see Liam Covington as a sick, twisted stalker who showed up to a wedding intending to kill. But Liam Covington is nothing more than a man who was in love with a woman who broke his heart, a man who had been threatened by this woman's best friend—Julia Stone—several times. The last thing she had said to him was a threat. And when he saw her on the beach that night, he assumed she was going to follow through on her threat. Her death was born of self-defense. Ladies and gentlemen, consider this when you bring back your verdict. Thank you."

Mr. Robbins returned to his seat, and suddenly, I felt very positive. It was like he hadn't even tried. He knew it was over. Judge Bradley's voice broke through my thoughts once again.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you will retire to your chambers to discuss all you've heard here. You must bring back a unanimous vote in order to convict. Remember: in the state of Florida, first-degree murder is a premeditated killing out of malice. If you wish to convict on a lesser charge, that must be unanimous as well. Remember, the prosecution simply needs to prove that the defendant is guilty. If you find the defendant guilty, it must be beyond a reasonable doubt. Please, retire now."

The jury stood up and was led back through the door by the bailiff.

Judge Bradley spoke again. "We will now recess until the jury has come to a verdict. Don't go too far." He hammered the gavel one time and disappeared into his chambers.

I swallowed and looked up at Andrew.

"Now we wait," he said, kissing me on the forehead.