“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Calling the case of the People of the State of Virginia versus Adam Morgan. Are both sides prepared and ready?” Judge Dionne says.

“Ready for the People, Your Honor,” D.A. Josh Peter says.

“Ready for the defense, Your Honor,” Sarah says.

“Will the clerk please swear in the jury?”

This is it. My entire life comes down to this. My life is in Sarah’s hands, the judge’s hands, the jury’s hands, anyone’s but mine. It’s up to them now. Sarah, my sweet Sarah, taking on the world while I’m still struggling to live in it—better yet, stay alive in it.

It’s time now for Sarah to begin opening remarks. She practiced these many nights in our home with me over the years. I know how good she is at this and how important it is for setting the tone. I’m hoping now that she will muster her best performance to date because I’m going to need it.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. My name is Sarah Morgan, and it is my privilege to represent Adam Morgan in this case before you today. Yes, you heard that right, Morgan.”

Sarah turns her body towards me in an open stance and points at me with her whole palm open. “Adam is not only my client.” She looks back at the jury. “He is my husband.”

Half the jury is agasp at the situation they have just learned they are in. I’m not sure yet if this is a good thing or a fatal mistake on our part.

“You have heard the prosecutor explain what he hopes will be proven throughout this proceeding, but what the prosecutor did not tell you is all the facts that we know right now. I can easily stand here before you today asking for a verdict of not guilty, no bluffing or showmanship required. Why? Because I know for a fact that Adam Morgan did not kill Kelly Summers.” Sarah pounds her fist on the railing in front of the jury box, punctuating her statement and snapping the jury to attention.

“Did Adam Morgan have an affair with Kelly Summers? Yes, yes he did. Did he love her? Yes. He has said so himself. And both of those things, as his wife, hurt me beyond belief. They anger me beyond belief.” She turns and looks at me with a mixture of anger and heartbreak in her eyes. She looks as though she could scream and cry simultaneously.