She didn’t want to do it. But she had no choice. Public defender, Penelope Moretti, is used to fighting for the underdog. But nothing in her career could have prepared her for Daria Aldridge, a seventeen-year-old charged with killing her abusive mother. Daria claims she had to do it , and Penelope can’t look away. As the trial unfolds, Penelope is pulled into a tense courtroom battle, confronted by the shadow of her own past, and forced to navigate the gray areas of justice, morality, and survival. Every decision she makes could cost her and the truth is darker than anyone expects. A gripping psychological thriller of family secrets, moral compromise, and the lengths we go to protect those we care about, I Had to Do It will keep you questioning: who is really guilty—and who deserves to be