Chapter 12 - The Morning of the Trial
Friday morning arrived with a torrential downpour that matched the heavy tension in the city.
I left Maya at the hospital in the secure NICU unit, guarded by two off-duty police officers Harrison had hired.
I dressed in a sharp, tailored navy suit, pulling my hair back into a severe, professional bun.
I was no longer the weeping, pregnant wife standing barefoot on a cold marble porch.
I was a mother going to war for her child's entire future.
Harrison and I walked into the grand county courthouse, immediately swarmed by flashing cameras and shouting reporters.
Julian’s PR team had ensured the media was present to capture my total public humiliation.
I ignored them entirely, keeping my head high and my expression completely unreadable.
We entered the private family courtroom, and my eyes locked onto Julian immediately.
He was sitting at the plaintiff's table, wearing a custom five-thousand-dollar suit, looking incredibly smug and confident.
He didn't even look at me with anger; he looked at me with absolute, chilling indifference.
To him, I was just a bad investment he was finally liquidating.
The judge, an older, stern-faced woman named Honorable Davis, slammed her gavel to begin the proceedings.
Julian’s lead attorney stood up and began spinning a theatrical tale of betrayal and deceit.
He claimed I was a serial cheater who had tried to pass off another man's child to steal half of Julian's tech empire.
"We have the court-ordered DNA test results right here, Your Honor," the lawyer announced triumphantly.
He handed a sealed envelope to the bailiff, who passed it up to the judge's bench.
"These results definitively prove that Julian Vance shares zero genetic markers with the child born yesterday."
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Julian smirked at me across the aisle, believing he had just won the entire war.
I didn't flinch. I just waited for Harrison to stand up.
