for over a decade he got away with his scam by taking only cases that would n't require a trial and that were unlikely to ever involve an opposing attorney-such as uncontested divorces , wills that needed to be drawn up , and so forth- '' meredith sank down onto the sofa , her stomach beginning to churn , her mind already numbly accepting what parker was going to tell her father , while her heart screamed a denial that it could n't be true .