Page 155 of Forgotten Prejudice

“How?”

Soren looked around, biting the inside of his cheek. “I went to talk to him,” he answered, something about his voice deeper than usual.

Maybe there was more to it than he was willing to share?

“I need to go meet with him, so—”

“Go,” I said before he could find another excuse to get away from me.

He moved to walk out when I stopped him again by saying his name.

“What is it?” he asked.

“When all of this is over, I want you to tell me.”

“Tell you what?” His brows drew close in confusion.

“Everything.”

Holding my stare, his winter gaze bored into my soul before he nodded, a barely there smile on his lips. Without a word, he slipped out of the room, leaving me alone with so many damn questions.

Soren

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine—

I stopped at nine, removing my eyes from my wristwatch and back to the court just in time for the judge to tell me the stage was mine. I took a deep breath, placed both hands on the desk, and pushed back my chair to stand. I had the court’s full attention, and for good reason, as the words I said next were the ones they had all been waiting for.

“I would like to call Shay-Lee Christian Rogers to take the stand, Your Honor.”

Once the permission had been granted, the doors to the courtroom opened, and in what felt like a choreographed scene, Shay-Lee entered the room. He didn’t walk; he couldn’t walk, so instead, one of the officers had to push his wheelchair down the aisle. The silence in the room was so stark you could have heard a pin drop, and with all eyes on Shay-Lee, I allowed myself to steal a quick glance at Camilo.

It was the first time I’d seen a different expression on his face. His lips were set in a hard line, jaw tensed, and brows furrowed over soft eyes. Eyes that didn’t belong to a fighter but a lover. A lover with a broken heart. I could understand his pain, as watching Shay-Lee being brought to the stand was brutal—gut-wrenching. The boy seemed broken, too broken. From the casts on his legs to the faint bruises on his face, he was a living tragedy. A terrible result of man’s cruelty. But despite all that, he was here, and he was strong. And above all, he was ready to fight for his life.

Once he was settled and sworn in, I stepped forward.

It’s showtime.

“Can you please state your name for the record?”

Clearing his throat, Shay-Lee leaned closer. “Shay-Lee Christian Rogers.”

“Can you please tell me the names of your parents?”