Chapter 10: The Retaliation**
The discovery triggered a swift expansion of the investigation. Federal agents raided Mark’s law offices downtown, seizing server backups and decades of closed client files. The firm immediately issued a press release stripping him of his partnership.
Cornered and facing multiple life sentences, Mark’s defense shifted toward desperate retaliation. A smear campaign erupted online, leaking selectively edited audio clips from past arguments where Elena sounded frantic and distressed.
Elena walked into Leo’s elementary school to pick him up and felt the cold, curious stares of the other parents. The whispers were palpable.
"Mrs. Mercer?" A woman approached her near the gate—Mrs. Gable, whose son was in Leo’s class. "We saw the news. We had no idea what you were enduring behind closed doors."
Elena braced for pity, but Mrs. Gable reached out and placed a warm, firm hand over hers. "You protected your boy. If you need anything—groceries, carpools, a quiet place—you call me."
May you like
The solidarity was unexpected, puncturing the isolation Mark had spent years constructing around her.
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