He was certain his life was ruined.
He had no idea that the worst day of his life was about to become the beginning of something extraordinary.
Chapter 2: A Courtroom Full of Strangers
The courtroom was larger than Adam had imagined.
Tall windows allowed pale morning light to fall across rows of wooden benches. A clock ticked above the doorway, and the quiet conversations of waiting families echoed through the room.
Adam sat beside a court-appointed lawyer.
His mother was not there.
She had been too weak to attend.
That absence hurt him more than anything else.
He wished she could hold his hand.
He wished he could tell her that he was frightened.
But perhaps, he thought, it was better that she did not have to see him like this.
He stared at his shoes.
They were the only pair he owned, and the soles had begun to separate.
