Back to the Courtroom
Now, during recess in the courthouse hallway, June knelt stiffly with her hands cuffed while her attorney argued with court staff and a social worker tried to pull Piper away.
Piper wouldn’t move.
She clung to June’s arm like letting go might tear her apart.
June’s voice cracked. “Piper, look at me.”
Piper raised her tear-streaked face.
June swallowed. “You did the bravest thing,” she whispered. “But you have to tell the truth to the judge, okay? You have to say it out loud.”
Piper nodded fast, then paused. Her gaze darted down the hall.
Celeste stood at the far end, talking to the prosecutor, her hands fluttering like delicate wings. She looked hurt. She looked indignant. She looked like someone who had never harmed anyone in her life.
But her eyes weren’t gentle.
They were fixed on Piper—sharp and warning.
Piper’s small body trembled.
June leaned closer, her voice quiet and firm. “She can’t hurt you here,” June said. “Not now. Not with everyone watching.”
Piper swallowed and whispered, “She said… if I talk, you go away forever.”
June’s vision swam.
She kept her voice steady. “Sweetheart, I’m already here,” she murmured. “And you just brought me back.”
Piper’s lip quivered. “I saw her… I saw her do it.”
June tightened her hold as much as the restraints allowed.
“Tell me what you saw,” June said gently. “From the beginning.”
Piper blinked hard, like she was dragging the memory out of somewhere dark.
And then she began to speak.
Not loudly.
Not for the courtroom.
Just for June.
Just enough for June to understand one thing with total certainty:
The truth was bigger than a shattered glass.
And Celeste’s scheme wasn’t only about removing a housekeeper.
Celeste had been working to erase anyone who stood between her and full control of the Carver family.
Down the corridor, the courtroom doors stood ready.
The recess clock continued to tick.
And when the judge called everyone back, Piper would have to do it again—stand before strangers, point at the person everyone trusted, and speak the words that could change everything.
June rested her forehead against Piper’s hair and whispered the only thing she could.
“I’m right here. And I’m not letting go.”
