Chapter 16 - The Trial
Matteo’s trial became public.
The press discovered the family conflict.
Reporters surrounded Alina.
Rumors spread online.
Some claimed she had married Dorian for money.
Others claimed the pregnancy had stopped the divorce.
Alina refused to hide.
Outside the courthouse, a reporter shouted:
“Mrs. Cross, did you stay because of the baby?”
Alina stopped.
Dorian did not answer for her.
That mattered.
She turned toward the cameras.
“No.”
The crowd quieted.
“I stayed because my husband finally learned that protecting someone doesn’t mean controlling what they’re allowed to know.”
Dorian looked at her.
“And,” she added, “because I learned that forgiveness is not pretending something never happened. It is deciding whether someone’s actions afterward deserve another chance.”
The clip spread everywhere.
But the moment that mattered happened after the cameras were gone.
Dorian opened the car door.
Alina caught his hand.
“Come home.”
He froze.
“Are you sure?”
May you like
“Yes.”
That question—Are you sure?—was the reason she was.
