Chapter 16 - The Trial
The criminal trial began two months later in a packed, highly publicized courtroom.
I wore a tailored navy suit, walking into the room with my head held high and my silver cane tapping rhythmically.
Marcus looked terrible, having lost at least twenty pounds, his hair unkempt and his posture completely defeated.
Vanessa refused to even look at him, sitting at the witness stand ready to save her own skin.
When the prosecutor played the hidden camera footage for the jury, the entire courtroom gasped in unified horror.
Watching the jury's faces, I knew the verdict was sealed before the defense even had a chance to speak.
Vanessa's testimony was the final nail in the coffin, painting Marcus as the sole mastermind of the horrific plot.
She claimed he manipulated her and forced her to participate in the forged deed.
Marcus exploded in the courtroom, screaming that she was a lying snake, forcing the judge to hold him in contempt.
It was a pathetic, messy display of two greedy people turning into absolute monsters under pressure.
I sat stoically through the entire spectacle, displaying no emotion, refusing to give them the satisfaction of my tears.
When I took the stand, I spoke clearly, precisely, and with total conviction about the night they tried to kill me.
May you like
The jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning to the courtroom.
They found Marcus Vance guilty on all counts, cementing his fate behind iron bars.
