The door to the courtroom opens, and a guard appears, his gaze moving right past me to my brother. “The councilors direct you to take Ms. De La Rosa home. This meeting will continue, and Mr. Montgomery will rejoin you later.”

I stare past him through the crack, but I can’t hear anything, and I don’t understand. What could Judge possibly be doing in there? The thought unnerves me, but Santiago seems relieved by the development.

“Thank you.” He rises, and the guard disappears back into the courtroom, sealing us outside.

I’m staring at the door when Santi helps me up, but I don’t want to leave. Because I know what this development means, even if I don’t know what’s happening beyond that door. I’ve known it since they hauled me into the car and delivered me here, and I don’t want to leave without one last look at Judge. One last goodbye.

“Mercedes.” Santi’s voice snaps me from my thoughts, and I look at him in a daze. “We have to go.”

I force a nod, dragging my feet as I follow him out to the car. The entire way, I’m considering if I could wait. If there’s still time to have one more night with Judge when he returns. But in my heart, I know there’s not. There can’t be. He’ll be even more alert with this hanging over my head. He’ll probably suspect I’d want to run because he thinks I’m a coward. But the truth is, I don’t have a choice. If I want to spare the child growing inside me from whatever archaic punishment they might see fit to dole out, I have to do this today.

Judge won’t understand it. Neither will Santiago. And those thoughts turn my stomach the entire drive back to the Montgomery estate. I only just got my brother back. But I know when I glance at him, this is the lesser evil. He will be disappointed in me for running but not nearly as disappointed in me as he would be if he knew the truth. If he knew I was ruined for any eligible man, that I’d thrown away my virtue and left yet another stain on our family name, all that would be left is shame.