Chapter 11 - THE WOMAN WHO REFUSED TO DISAPPEAR
After the charges were dismissed, reporters waited outside the courthouse.
They shouted questions.
“Mrs. Vance!”
“Did your husband frame you?”
“Are you filing for divorce?”
“Will you sue?”
I stopped.
Gabriel looked at me.
“Ellie?”
I took a breath.
Then turned toward the cameras.
“My name is Eloise Bennett.”
The reporters went quiet.
I continued.
“I was accused of a crime I did not commit.”
A pause.
“A man named Daniel Mercer lost his life.”
My voice shook.
“His family deserves justice.”
I looked toward the courthouse.
“And no one should be asked to surrender their freedom to protect someone else's reputation.”
Silence.
Then I stepped away.
Gabriel placed a hand on my shoulder.
Julian walked beside me.
Nathaniel opened the car door.
For the first time in years, I wasn't hiding.
May you like
I wasn't apologizing.
And I wasn't afraid of what Callahan might think.
