Chapter 2

I set the invitation down on the table, grabbed my bag, and stood up.

"Congratulations," I said.

I left it at that.

Then I turned and walked out of the private room.

In the hallway, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

It rang once before someone picked up.

"Ms. Reed," came a steady voice on the other end.

"Mr. Hawthorne," I said, "I've already gone through the opposing counsel's file."

"You sure?" he asked.

I glanced at the closed door of the private room.

"I'm 100% sure," I replied.

*****

I never forgot what happened three years ago.

Not for a single second.

Back then, I'd only been in the game for two years, working as a criminal defense lawyer at Summit & Partners Law Firm.

Edward was my boyfriend and also my colleague at the firm.

Emily was his college classmate, and after she passed the bar, he got her a job at the firm.

I'd just landed a huge case: a senior executive at a listed company was accused of insider trading. If I won, I'd be promoted straight to the firm's core team.

That case was my ticket to the big leagues.

The night before the trial, Edward asked me out for dinner.

He poured me a glass of red wine.

I drank it.

The next morning, my throat felt like it had been scraped raw with sandpaper.

I opened my mouth, but not a single sound came out.

I was completely mute.

Not a single syllable came out.

I was freaking out, calling Edward non-stop, but he just ignored me.

So I called the firm. The receptionist said, "Ms. Reed, your case has been reassigned to Ms. Sutton.

"Mr. Foster told us you suddenly came down with acute pharyngitis and can't appear in court."

*****

When I rushed to the courthouse, Emily was already at the plaintiff's bench.

She was wearing the suit I'd picked out, relying on the evidence I'd painstakingly organized, reciting the defense I'd written myself.

I stood in the gallery, unable to say a single word, feeling completely powerless.

All I could do was watch as she used my hard work to win the case I should have fought.

After the trial, Emily became an overnight sensation.

And as for me? The firm fired me for "ditching at the last second."

No one believed I'd been drugged.

There was no proof.

Edward said I just lost my voice from all the stress.

Everyone at the firm believed him.

My classmates believed him.

Everyone believed him.

A month later, Edward and Emily's relationship was exposed.

Two months later, they headed overseas together.

Right before they left, Emily texted me.

"Samantha, thanks for the case. Without your sacrifice, I wouldn't be where I am now. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Edward for you."

I stared at that message for a long time.

I hurled my phone against the wall, shattering it.

That night, I sat alone in my tiny apartment, mouthing words at the wall, but nothing came out.

Not a single sound came out.

Tears splashed onto my knees.

'I swear,' I told myself.

'I would make them pay.

'Tenfold. A hundredfold.'

For three years, I changed cities, changed my name, and reinvented myself as "Attorney S."

I specialized in high-stakes commercial litigation.

Forty-seven cases in three years.

I won them all.

No one knew who Attorney S really was.

All anyone knew was that when my name appeared, the other side knew it was time to start updating their resume.

And now, Edward and Emily had taken on Henry's divorce case.

They were representing Henry's ex-wife.

And who was Henry's lawyer?

Me.

Samantha Reed.

Attorney S.

Fate had come full circle, bringing them right back to me.

This time, I won't be silenced.