Chapter 13: The Trial Begins
Chapter 13: The Trial Begins
Six months to the day after the catastrophic gala, the high-profile criminal trial officially commenced. The media dubbed it "The Trial of the Century."
The prosecution built a methodical, devastating narrative. They paraded forensic accountants, the private investigator her father had hired before his health failed, and finally, Chloe, who took the stand under a grant of partial immunity to testify against her former lover.
Yet, the most emotionally shattering moment of the trial came when Emily herself took the witness stand. Dressed in sharp, unyielding black, she did not shed a single tear. With a clear, unwavering voice, she calmly recounted the psychological torture of the ballroom, the years of quiet abuse, and the exact moment she realized her father had been murdered by the man sitting just feet away from her. The jury listened in spellbound, heavy silence.
