Page 123 of Ranger's Wildflower

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Not anymore.

With something else.

Something stronger.

Because this time—

They didn’t stop me.

They didn’t silence me.

They didn’t win.

I look at Ace.

He meets my gaze.

And I know—

We’re close.

Really close.

28

Tessa

The courthouse looks exactly the same.

That’s the first thing I notice.

Same stone steps. Same tall columns. Same heavy doors that once felt like they swallowed me whole.

My chest tightens—but I don’t stop walking.

Not this time.

Ace is beside me, steady and solid, his presence a constant at my back and at my side all at once. Blaze, Beast, and Trigger fan out behind us, not obvious, but there.

Watching.

Guarding.

And for the first time since I stepped foot here years ago—

I don’t feel alone.

Cameras flash before we even reach the steps.

Voices call out.

“Tessa! Is it true the footage clears you?”

“Did the sheriff falsify evidence?”

“Are you pressing charges?”

The noise hits fast.

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