Kenna hadn’t looked away, our connection a live thing pulsing between us. Kenna had been my home from the moment she truly let me into her world. And I had thrown that aside like a toddler who hadn’t gotten his way. God, I was an idiot. Worse than that, I’d been careless with the person who meant the most to me in this world. I had been so caught up in making sure I couldn’t be tied down by anyone or anything that I’d lost the most amazing thing to ever happen to me.

I stepped forward, opening my mouth to say something, I wasn’t even sure what, when the bailiff spoke. “All rise.”

Kenna’s eyes flickered with something that looked a lot like hope, and I had to force myself to turn away from the emotion and face the front of the courtroom. I felt as if I’d been sucker punched in the ribs, unable to focus or take a full breath. All I could think about was how I was going to fix things with Kenna.

I gave my head a good shake, trying to get my eyes to zero in on Judge Moore. The pissed-off look on the man’s face had me snapping out of my haze. I gave a quick glance over my shoulder. Kenna looked worried now. I felt a clawing urge inside to go to her, to comfort her. But I couldn’t, not now. She had her support crew. They’d come in full force. Bell, Caelyn, Ford, and Hunter. Even Bell’s father, Dr. Kipton, who had been Harriet’s doctor, was in attendance.

I forced my gaze back to Judge Moore. When he sat, the rest of the court followed suit. He cleared his throat, studying all the faces in the courtroom, one by one. “I apologize for the delay in today’s proceedings, but unfortunately, the sheriff had to be called out to my home this morning.”

I stiffened, glancing over at the Abbots’ side of the court. Grant and Ben Hotchkiss shared a look, but it was a wary one. As Grant turned his gaze back to the judge, a muscle in his cheek ticked. What the hell was going on?

Judge Moore’s gaze hardened as he looked around the room. “I do not take attempted bribery lightly.”

Someone who sounded a lot like Caelyn let out a gasp behind me. My stomach sank. Grant was messing with the system. If we were lucky, he’d tried to influence the judge in his favor. But if he was really clever, he might’ve sent a false message from our camp, leading the judge to believe that we were trying to influence the outcome of the trial.