I had always suspected something was off with Nick Fowler, a former co-worker of mine. I knew the guy was trouble from the start, but I never imagined the extent of his betrayal. Through weeks of careful surveillance and analysis of evidence I had built a solid case against him, discovering that he was a double agent all along. I had been warned countless times that it was dangerous. But I was convinced that if I gathered the right evidence it would be enough to bring him down. I felt confident I would never face the consequences of crossing him. When he was first arrested, it felt like everything was going as planned. But even with a steep bail, he managed to bond out every time, thanks to his powerful connections. I was sure that once the day of his trial arrived, those ties wouldn't matter and we would bring him down. When the day of the trial finally arrived, I was dressed in my finest suit. I took my place at the witness stand in front of a large crowd. As I looked across the room and saw him, I knew this was my chance to testify against him. I had spent months crafting my speech, I had poured over all the evidence, making sure it was solid and convincing. As I looked at the jury, I felt certain that they would see the extent of his crimes and come to the same conclusion I had. Looking back now, I knew I should have listened to those who had warned me. It didn't matter how much evidence I had or if he had been caught red-handed. His connections were too strong. As the jury declared him not guilty, I couldn't help but lock eyes with Nick. Throughout the entire process, his gaze had never left me. Sitting in my safehouse now, under the witness protection program with a new identity, I can't help but reflect on the smirk that had been on Nick's face just before the courtroom erupted in disbelief at the lack of justice. The moment I saw that smirk, it was like a knife through my heart. I knew exactly what it had meant - he would come after me. And the worst part was knowing that it was just a matter of time.