A man in a slicked-back haircut and a sharp suit stepped forward holding a briefcase.

He pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose and gave the camera the practiced little smile he had used a hundred times.

The chat caught him fast.

[That's Marshall Pierce!]

[Top defense lawyer in the country. Crowley group's chief counsel!]

[Oh good, let the pros handle her!]

[May Fairfax is finished! There is no escaping Marshall Pierce!]

Marshall pulled a sheet of paper out of his briefcase, cleared his throat, and read it like he was reading a verdict.

"Per the criminal code, anyone who intentionally inflicts serious bodily injury on another person may be sentenced to a multi-year term, depending on the severity and the specific circumstances. In cases involving particularly cruel methods or aggravating factors, the sentence may be longer."

He paused. He looked toward the dead, empty room.

"Ms. Fairfax. You are suspected of intentional bodily injury resulting in miscarriage, with aggravating circumstances. I recommend you turn yourself in voluntarily. It is the path that leads to leniency."

The chat went off.

[Did everyone hear that? May Fairfax, you are going to prison!]

[Marshall Pierce is right. Turn yourself in!]

[May, stop hiding and come out!]

Wendy felt the wave under her. Her chin came up.

She turned back toward the empty house. Something flickered in her eyes for half a second. Pleasure.

"Marshall. Tell her something for me." Her voice was clear now. There was no shake left in it. "I want her in prison. For three days my son has been dead. For three days I have been hearing him crying for me in my dreams."

"Why does the wicked one walk around free? I want her to pay with her life. Or I want her to scoop her own eggs out of her body.

"One egg for one of his organs. I want her to know what it feels like to watch her own flesh and blood disappear in front of her."

The chat hung for a beat. Then it broke open.

[Harvest her eggs? That's a little...]

[No, it's fair. One life for one life. She killed a six-month boy. Eggs aren't a person. A baby is a person!]

[I support this! May can't have a son anyway, can she? Make sure she never has one!]

[Take away her right to be a mother, forever!]

Tristan stood off to the side. He had not said a word.

He watched the whole thing the way you watch a stranger get sentenced. Cold.

Against the corner wall, the drunk man lifted his head.

His eyes were filmy. His voice came out dead clear.

"You're lying."

Everyone froze.

Wendy turned toward him in disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

"I said you're lying." He pulled himself up the wall and stood. "Three days ago, she did not make you miscarry. There is no way."

The chat had not registered yet. Marshall got there first. He gave a soft, mean laugh and looked the drunk up and down.

"What does a beggar know? Are you saying the wound on Ms. Crowley's belly is fake? Are you saying she opened her own stomach with a knife to frame someone?"

His voice was contemptuous.

"Have you ever been a mother? Do you know what it is to lose a child? Do you have any idea what it took for her to lift her shirt in front of this camera?"

The chat fell in.

[Is this man drunk? Why is he defending the killer? Wendy's scar isn't a deepfake!]

[Marshall absolutely roasted him!]

[I bet this drunk is in on it. Arrest him too!]

Tristan's face had gone the kind of hard you can't argue with.

He walked toward the drunk slow. Each word came out from between his teeth.

"Do you know May Fairfax?"

The drunk shook his head. "No."

"Then on what basis are you calling Ms. Crowley a liar?"

The drunk shrank a little. Then he set his jaw and got it out anyway.

"If you saw the woman in this villa three days ago, you'd know she could not have hurt anyone."

Wendy's eyes flickered at the drunk's line.

She bit down on her teeth, dug into her pocket, pulled her phone out, and turned the screen at the camera.

"You want to call me a liar. I have proof."

It was a piece of hospital surveillance from three days ago.

A woman walked into frame.

Hair loose around her shoulders. Fruit knife in her right hand.

It was supposed to be me. May Fairfax.

The footage had me with murder on my face, kicking a hospital room door open, walking straight to the bed.

Then in one motion, the knife came down across Wendy's belly.

Wendy's voice came out of the speakers, raw.

"Help! Somebody! She's killing my baby!"

The pitch of it could have cut glass.

The nurse station lights started flashing. White coats came running into the frame.

In the video, I turned and ran. The end of the corridor swallowed me.

The footage cut.

The chat lost its mind.

[Holy sh*t! She actually did it!]

[What is there left to debate? The proof is right there! May is a murderer!]

[Wendy, that poor woman... Her own sister-in-law cut her open, and the baby is gone!]

[Death penalty! She deserves nothing less!]

Wendy held the phone with shaking hands. The tears were running down her face.

"Did you all see that? May killed my son with her own hands."

She turned to the drunk. Her voice scraped.

"Now tell me I'm lying. I don't care if she paid you off, or if you've been sleeping with her. I am asking you one question. Do you have any humanity left at all?"

The drunk stared at the phone screen and frowned.

He said it flat. "That video is fake."

Tristan looked like he had heard the world's worst joke. The corner of his mouth pulled into something ugly.

"Fake? This is surveillance pulled out of a top hospital.

"Do you have any idea who you are accusing right now? Do you have any idea how much equipment Crowley Group donates to that hospital every year?"

Marshall shook his head. He gave a small, dry laugh. "A vagrant. Can't afford a meal. But you can authenticate video now. What's next, you think it's AI?"

The chat piled on.

[I'm dying. Is this drunk crazy?!]

[Hospital security can't be faked. Who do you think you are?]

[Shut his mouth! May Fairfax must have paid him! What's your number, I'll double it]

[Honestly, is he sleeping with her too?]

Then Wendy let out a long, awful wail.

Both her hands found her hair. She started slamming her head into the wall.

"Why won't you believe me? I gave you the proof! Do you want me to die? Do you want me to die in this house before you'll listen?"

Her forehead struck the cracked plaster with a dull thud.

Tristan went pale. He crossed the room in two strides and locked her down from behind.

"Wendy, stop! I believe you! I believe you, please!"

She thrashed in his arms. Tears and snot were running down her face.

"Nobody believes me! The drunk says I'm lying. Some of the chat is starting to doubt. You all think I'm acting, don't you?"

Marshall picked his cue.

"Ms. Crowley. With me here, May Fairfax does not get away. A few people running their mouths means nothing. The law works on evidence. Your evidence is overwhelming."

He paused. He gave the drunk a flat look.

"I'd suggest some people learn to keep their mouths shut. Defamation is also a crime."

A bodyguard took the cue. He crossed the floor and put a boot in the drunk's ribs.

"Talking out of turn. A beggar like you. Where do you get the nerve?"

The drunk made a small sound and folded against the wall.

The chat cheered.

[Good! That's what he gets!]

[Anyone defending a murderer deserves to get hit!]

[I bet he knows where she is. Drag him in, and make him talk!]

Tristan saw that line and was about to call for the drunk to be hauled away.

A police siren cut through the air.

His face changed. "Who called the police?"

He had wanted May to apologize. He hadn't wanted her in handcuffs.

The crew looked around. Nobody admitted to it.

Wendy caught the irritation in his face. Something dark flickered in her eyes and disappeared.

"It must have been the chat. Something this big, of course, someone called. Tristan, isn't this what we wanted? Let the police do their work. Let them lock her up. Justice for my baby."

Tristan did not answer. His jaw was tight.

The cruiser stopped. Three uniforms climbed out.

The lead officer checked the address against his notepad. He looked up at the gathered crew.

"Does anyone here know the woman who lives in this house. May Fairfax. She's been dead for a week."