I stood in court with trembling hands, ready to tell the truth—until my mother-in-law stormed toward me. “You dared to fight me?!” she hissed, then slapped

“You dared to fight me?!” she hissed.

Before anyone could react, her hand cracked across my cheek.

The slap echoed through the courtroom.

My head snapped sideways. Someone gasped loudly. Lily, sitting beside my sister in the back row, burst into tears.

Ryan looked down at his shoes.