The Perfect Couple Chapter 1

At the peak of my career, the youngest tenured law professor in the state, I married my childhood sweetheart, Evelyn.

They called us the "Twin Stars of the legal world," and to everyone who looked, we were the perfect, loving couple.

Then, in the tenth year of our marriage, my mother took our son out for the day. A car crash shattered everything.

The driver was drunk, street racing. My mother’s only instinct was to shield her grandson with her body. She died on impact.

And now, in the courtroom, I saw my wife, Evelyn, sitting not beside me, but beside the killer, Raymond Croft. She was his defense attorney.

“My client was operating his vehicle in a normal fashion,” she declared to the court, her voice crisp and professional. “The deceased suddenly darted into the road in an apparent attempt to stage an accident for a fraudulent claim. Therefore, the deceased bears the primary responsibility for this tragic outcome.”

I stared at the woman I thought I knew, my vision blurring with red-hot rage.

“My mother would never do that! I have a witness!”

But when my ten-year-old son, my witness, took the stand, he ran to Raymond’s side and clung to his arm.

“I saw it,” he said, his voice small but clear. “Grandma tried to get money from Uncle Raymond. She ran right at his car. Dad wanted me to lie, but I won’t. I won’t let anyone hurt my Uncle Raymond.”

The world beneath my feet turned to ice.

…

The trial was over before it began.

The judge found the defendant, Raymond Croft, not guilty.

And me? As the family member of the party at fault, I was ordered to cover the primary damages—twenty thousand dollars for the repairs to Raymond's car.

I stood on the courthouse steps, a hollowed-out shell of a man, watching Evelyn and my son approach.

"Why?" The word was a ragged whisper. "You knew he killed her. You knew. Why would you help him?"

“I’m sorry,” she said, her expression unreadable. “Raymond’s mother died years ago saving me in the mountains. I owe him a debt.”

She held out a bank card.

“There’s another twenty thousand on here. A little something from Raymond, for your trouble.”

“My trouble?”

I snatched the card, snapped it in two, and threw the pieces in her face. A raw, guttural scream tore from my throat.

“Evelyn, is that all my mother’s life is worth to you? Twenty thousand dollars? She was a person! She was my mother!”

“The debt you owe Raymond—what gives you the right to pay it with my mother’s life?”

“That’s enough!” Evelyn’s voice was sharp, impatient. “This is a courthouse. Don’t make a scene.”

My son, Leo, stood beside her, his small face scrunched in disapproval.

“Yeah, Dad. Grandma’s dead, so what? If Uncle Raymond went to jail, who would play with me? Why are you being so selfish!”

I froze, a chill so profound it seemed to stop my heart.

Selfish?

I couldn’t fathom that the boy I had raised for a decade, the boy I loved more than life itself, could see me this way.

Raymond walked over, a smug, triumphant smirk playing on his lips. “Come on, Ethan. Leo’s just a kid. Don’t take it so hard.”

“Uncle Raymond!” Leo’s face lit up. He scampered over, tugging at Raymond’s arm. “I’m a big boy now. I’ll protect you.”

“That’s my guy,” Raymond said, scooping Leo into his arms. They looked, for all the world, like a real father and son.

I watched them, a bitter, hysterical laugh bubbling in my chest.

This was the son I cherished.

This was the family I had sacrificed my career to build and protect.

Evelyn, cool and composed, pulled a document from her briefcase.

“This is an agreement to waive your right to appeal. Sign it, and this whole thing will be over.”

“Never.” I ripped the paper from her hand and tore it to shreds. “Don’t you forget, Evelyn. I studied law, too. I was a damn good lawyer. I will not let my mother die in vain.”

Her eyes turned to steel. “Then you can try.”