Chapter 7: The Trial Begins
Six months later, the county courthouse was packed with reporters and onlookers. Claire walked through the heavy wooden doors, holding her head high. She was eight months pregnant now, wearing a simple blue dress, looking radiant and strong.
On the defense side sat Ethan, dressed in a sharp gray suit, looking subdued and remorseful—a calculated move arranged by his high-priced defense attorneys.
""Your Honor,"" Ethan's lawyer began during opening statements, ""my client was under immense corporate pressure and suffered a temporary mental breakdown. He is deeply apologetic and seeks rehabilitation, not prison.""
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Ethan looked at the jury with well-rehearsed tears in his eyes.
When Claire took the witness stand, the courtroom fell dead silent. She looked Ethan directly in the eyes for the first time since that terrible morning. She didn't flinch. She didn't cry.
