Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (2012 Watty Winner)

The familiar sting of a breakup hung in the air, but Ashley Davies barely registered it. Michelle's parting words, 'This is all just too much for me, Ashley,' echoed a hundred times before. Another one bites the dust. Ashley shrugged, a practiced nonchalance, and watched Michelle leave, the click of the front door a final punctuation mark.

She grabbed a beer from the fridge, the cold can a welcome contrast to the lingering irritation. Flopping onto her plush couch, she raised the beer in a mock toast. "Another one bites the dust." The words were a familiar refrain, a shield against the dull ache of yet another failed attempt at a normal relationship.

Her phone buzzed, pulling her from the quiet contemplation of her single life. A new case awaited, a challenge that promised to demand every ounce of her formidable intellect. The legal world was her true calling, a place where her sharp mind and unwavering resolve were not 'too much,' but exactly what was needed. This was where she truly belonged, where she always won.