Page 46 of The Art of Loving You

Lopez tapped the folder. “In an emergency meeting, the grand jury reviewed it. With this evidence, the prosecution no longer has a case against you.”

I let out a slow breath, dragging a hand through my hair. “She told me to be careful.”

Lopez lifted a brow. “And were you?”

I said nothing. Because the truth was, I had thought I was. I just hadn’t counted on my mother seeing everything before I did.

Lopez glanced at his watch. "Your hearing's in an hour. After that, you're free."

I let out a breath, nodding once. My father might be chained to his past, but I was standing on the edge of something different—freedom.

A guard appeared at the door, motioning for me to stand. “It’s time.” I followed him down a long corridor, the walls pressing inwith the weight of the moment. A steel door buzzed open, and I stepped into the courtroom.

The judge flipped through his file with the calm detachment of a man who had seen it all. Lopez led me to my seat without a word, but my focus had already shifted.

Ella.

She sat across the room, hands clasped in her lap, her gaze locked on mine. Worry flickered in her expression, but beneath it, I saw something else—belief.

My mother sat calmly beside Ella, her spine straight but with a slight smile. She was here. Ella and Mom had come to save me.

The judge cleared his throat, his voice steady and impassive. “The state originally pursued charges against Mr. Devereux under the assumption that he knowingly participated in the illegal sale and storage of stolen artwork. However, due to newly submitted evidence—including documentation provided by a third-party witness—the state concedes that it cannot establish probable cause.”

A beat of silence.

I barely breathed, waiting for the words that would either chain me to my father’s sins or set me free.

“The charges against Lucas Devereux are dismissed.” The judge finally looked up, his sharp gaze meeting mine. “Mr. Devereux, you are free to go.”

The words felt surreal, almost as if my brain couldn’t process them. A court officer stepped forward, unlocking the cuffs around my wrists. The sharp click of metal rang louder thananything else in the room. I flexed my fingers, rolling my shoulders to shake off the lingering stiffness.

Free.

Lopez leaned in, his voice low but firm. “Walk out of here. This is over.”

I nodded, swallowing hard. It wasn’t over, not really—not with the fallout that awaited me outside these walls. The media, the questions, the damage my father had already done. But I could deal with all that later. Right now, I just needed to breathe.

I turned, and my eyes locked onto Ella.

She grinned was already on her feet, her lips parted like she wanted to say something, but no words came. Her hands were clasped in front of her, fingers gripping each other a little too tightly. She had been waiting. Hoping.

Beside her, my mother stood poised as ever. Yet, I noticed the small tell—her fingers tapping lightly against her handbag, her breath exhaling just a fraction too deeply. She wasn’t relieved because she doubted the outcome. She felt relief because now she could finally let go of the weight she had been carrying. The weight of saving me.

Mom met my gaze and gave a single, silent nod—not approval, not triumph. Just acknowledgment.

I exhaled, knowing there would be questions. There would be consequences. But at this moment? I was just grateful to be walking away.

And this time, I wasn’t walking alone.

Ella and I held hands as we descended the courthouse steps in silence. The evening air was thick with the remnants of the past twenty-four hours. The chaos of the court proceedings, the weight of accusations, and the sheer uncertainty of what would come next still lingered over me. But the farther I walked, the lighter I felt.

On my other side, Mom walked with quiet strength, her presence grounding me in a way I hadn’t expected. She hadn’t spoken much since the verdict, but she didn’t have to. Just being here, beside me, was enough.

When we reached the bottom of the steps, she let out a breath, almost as if she’d been holding it the entire time. And then, without hesitation, she pulled both Ella and me into a firm embrace. It wasn’t overly sentimental, but it was solid. Real. A silent promise that, no matter what came next, we were in this together.

As we approached the car, a new thought pushed through the clutter in my mind. I glanced at Ella, my chest tightening just a little.

“Does Bess know where I’ve been?”

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