Chapter 7 - The Trial Preparation
The courthouse was a grand, imposing building made of cold gray stone.
I walked through the heavy wooden doors with Victoria by my side, my head held high.
The media had caught wind of the sensational story: a wealthy heir stealing millions and framing his stepmother, leaving her to freeze.
Cameras flashed in my face, but I ignored them, my focus entirely on the legal battle ahead.
The prosecutor, a sharp-witted man named Harrison, walked us through the strategy in a private conference room.
"Julian's lawyer is going to attack your character, Elena," Harrison warned, looking at me over his glasses.
"They will claim you and Robert had a toxic marriage, and that Julian acted out of desperation to protect his father's assets."
"Let them try," I said, my voice steady and cold.
"I have the medical records, the bank statements, and the scars on my hands to prove the truth."
Robert had been subpoenaed to testify against his own son.
It was the ultimate punishment for a man who had prized his family name above all else.
He would have to sit on the stand and admit to the world that he had been manipulated, humiliated, and ruined by his own flesh and blood.
I spent hours practicing my testimony, reliving the horrific night of the blizzard over and over again.
The memory of the freezing wind, the sound of the deadbolt clicking shut, the terror of falling onto the icy concrete.
It was exhausting, but it was necessary.
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I was not going to let Julian's high-priced defense attorney twist my trauma into a weapon against me.
Tomorrow, the trial would begin, and the entire city would finally hear the truth.
