"sem advogado? você está acabado", meu irmão zombou de mim — então o advogado deles ficou pálido.

“No lawyer? You’re finished,” my brother mocked me—then their lawyer turned pale. “No lawyer. You’re finished, brother,” he said loud enough for the whole courtroom to hear. Some people laughed. My father smiled. Their lawyer leaned back in his chair, with the confidence of someone who had already decided how the day would end. I was alone at the defense table. No lawyer. No family by my side. No one whispering support in my ear. Then the judge opened a thick folder and looked at the first page. His expression changed. The courtroom fell silent. He turned a page… then another. Suddenly, their lawyer stood up. “What is it?” my brother asked, smiling. The man didn’t answer. He looked straight at me. His face was pale. “My God,” he said, unable to hold back. My father frowned. “What?” The lawyer swallowed hard. “Look at her file.” The judge slowly removed his glasses. And then he said a sentence that shattered everything my family believed about me: