"Did you kill Braxton Thorne?" Dimitri asks. He's trying to get me ready for trial.

"I don't want to talk about it," I say.

"Did you know Braxton Thorne?" He's been asking me questions for ten minutes and I haven't given him a real answer.

"Dimitri," I sigh. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Your trial is in four weeks," he tells me. "Do you understand that?"

"I'm not stupid, Dimitri. I know that my trial is coming up," I say. "I just don't want to talk about it."

Something passes over Dimitri's face. He sighs. "You have to answer my questions," he says. "Or I won't be able to do my job."

"Not now, okay?" I ask. His grey eyes search mine.

He nods. "I just don't want you to go to jail, Ade."

I smile. "You just called me Ade."

"Oh. That's okay, right?" Dimitri asks. I nod and stand up, walking over to where he is.

"It's perfect," I say. I cup his face in my hands and kiss him softly. He kisses me back but before anything else can happen, my stomach growls. I pull away as my cheeks flush.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Dimitri asks. I nod and he stands up. We both grab our jackets

Once we're outside, Dimitri puts his arm around my waist. I smile. It feels good to be with him.

Dimitri leads me to a restaurant. We get seated at a table and order drinks.

"So, how's Jerome?" I ask.

"Good." Dimitri smiles. "He's been busy lately with work."

"What does he do again?" I ask.

"He's a doctor," Dimitri says. His phone rings. "Sorry, it's my mother. I have to take this." I nod. He gets up and walks away.

I take a drink of my iced tea and try not to think about my trial. I've been avoiding it for a while, pretending it's not real. I feel dread pool in my stomach.

I can't go back to a courtroom and have the same thing happen...

"So that's how you're paying for him," a man says. I blink and look up. He looks vaguely familiar, but I can't place him.

"I beg your pardon?" I ask.

The man smiles. "You and Dimitri seem very comfortable together," he says. "Do you find that to be professional?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are," I say.

"Robert Wethers," he tells me. "I'm the prosecutor of your case."

Realization hits me. "Oh," I say.

"It's very frowned upon for a lawyer to be in a relationship with their client," Mr. Wethers tells me. "Especially if it's sexual."

"What are you saying?" I ask. I feel sick.

"What do you think the judge of your case would do if were to find out?" His smile is cruel. "Or perhaps, the jury?"

"I don't understand," I say.

"Three things can happen, Miss Kincaid. It's your choice," Mr. Wethers says. "One: The jury finds out about your relationship. And you turn into the woman who slept with her lawyer. What does this do to your character? The jury questions your relationship with Braxton Thorne. It becomes conceivable that you came onto him, and when he rejected you, anger caused you to kill him."

I swallow. My mouth is dry and I can't find anything to say.

"That's not true," I choke out. I never came onto Braxton. I never...

Mr. Wethers smiles as he sees that he's getting to me. "Two: The judge and even the people above him find out about your relationship. The narrative begins that Dimitri took advantage of you. He offered to be your lawyer in exchange for sex. He offered to be your lawyer awfully fast, didn't he? Did you ever think of why that might be?"

"He's not...it's not..." I stutter.

Wethers continues, "Upon learning about your relationship, Dimitri loses his status; his law degree. He can no longer be a lawyer." Mr. Wethers pauses. "Which brings us to the third option: You and I work something out."

"I don't..." I trail off when his hand touches my leg. "Oh."

"Here's my card," Mr. Wethers says. "You should come by after hours."

I blink. It feels like I'm drowning all over again. Like I'm back in the courtroom hearing everyone say it's my fault. My head's spinning.

"I can't, Emma. I can't anymore," I said to Emma. She was going over my case against Braxton. Emma was one of the kinder detectives.

"Adelaide, we're so close," she told me.

"I'm done," I told her. Tears stung my eyes. "I can't sleep, I can't eat. I can't even breathe. I've reached the point where I'm not even living anymore."

"You must be living for something," she said.

I shook my head. "I told you I was engaged? That man, Lincoln, he made me feel. I was safe with him. I was me again."

"Live for him," Emma said.

"I can't. Because Braxton came back I had to leave him. I was living for him," I said. Tears feel down my cheeks. "But then it killed me all over again to leave him."

"Adelaide," Emma said sternly. She shook my shoulders. "He wins. Braxton wins if you keep letting him hurt you. Don't let him win. Don't continue to be a victim."

I blink a couple times. "Mr. Wethers," I say. He turns around. "I'll see you during trial."

His face turns sour as he walks away. I run my hands over my face and throw money down on the table. I push through people as I walk outside.

I can finally breathe as the fresh air hits me. I watch cars go by and press my hand to my chest. Braxton wins if you keep letting him hurt you. Don't be a victim.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asks from behind me. I turn around.

"Why are you my lawyer, Dimitri?" I ask. "Honestly, why did you take my case?"

Dimitri frowns slightly as he walks closer to me. "I already told you," he says.

"Did you take my case because you wanted to sleep with me?" I ask.

He frowns. "What? Of course not," he says.

I shake my head. "I really need you to be honest with me."

"I am being honest with you," Dimitri says. "What happened?"

"Nothing," I mutter. "Can we just go?"

Dimitri sighs. "I guess."

We walk in tense silence back to his office. "I'm just going to go home," I say.

"What happened?" he asks.

"I don't...I just need some space," I say.

"Okay. I'll call you later," he says.

"Yeah. Bye," I say quickly.

I don't take the bus back to Dominique's place. Instead, I end up walking, trying to figure things out.

I know it's not fair to push Dimitri away. But it's the only thing I can think to do. I keep hearing the prosecutor's words: He offered to be your lawyer awfully fast, didn't he? Did you ever think of why that might be?

I know Dimitri's a good man, but I can't help but question him.