Chapter 9 - The Final Nail
The next day, the true recordings were played for the jury.
The courtroom sat in horrified silence as Santiago’s voice echoed through the room, captured on a hidden microphone in his home office three months ago.
“I don’t care what it takes, Beatriz. You get the judge to sign the custody papers. Once I have full rights, I’m taking Leo to Dubai. Valeria can rot in this house. If she tries to leave, I’ll have her pushed off a balcony and make it look like she finally lost her mind. She is nothing. I own her.”
I closed my eyes as the audio played, feeling a single tear trace down my cheek. Beside me, my father reached out and gripped my hand tightly.
When the tape ended, the jury looked at Santiago with pure, unadulterated revulsion.
Santiago couldn't handle it. His narcissistic ego, completely shattered and exposed to the world, violently snapped.
"She deserved it!" Santiago suddenly roared, overturning the heavy wooden defense table. Papers flew everywhere. He lunged toward the witness stand, his face purple with rage, spit flying from his lips. "You ungrateful bitch! I gave you everything! I'll kill you!"
Before the bailiffs could even draw their tasers, Diego—who was seated in the front row of the gallery—vaulted the wooden divider and tackled Santiago mid-air. They crashed to the floor, Diego pinning Santiago’s arms behind his back with bone-breaking force.
"Let me go! I am Santiago Rivas!" he screamed, thrashing wildly.
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"Not anymore," I said, standing up from the witness box, looking down at the pathetic, violent man writhing on the floor.
The judge ordered the jury out, held Santiago in contempt, and remanded him to maximum security isolation for the remainder of the trial. The verdict, at that point, was merely a formality.
