Chapter 16 - The Trial Begins
The courtroom was packed. The viral nature of the story had brought in local news crews. I sat on the witness stand, looking directly at the jury.
The prosecutor asked me to recount the events of that night. I didn't cry. I didn't shake. I told the story with chilling clarity. I described the cold laundry room. The thin nightgown. The chunks of blonde hair scattered on the floor.
Then, they played the hidden camera footage.
The courtroom was dead silent, save for the gasps of the jury. They watched Chloe steal. They watched Beatrice conspire. They saw the sheer, calculated evil of framing a toddler for their own crimes.
Arthur’s defense tried to paint me as a manipulative gold-digger, claiming the video was taken out of context. But they couldn't explain away the medical reports. The forensic photos of Mia's nicked scalp and my bruised face were projected onto the screen.
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When Chloe took the stand as a hostile witness against her own parents, the trial was effectively over. She bawled her eyes out, admitting that Beatrice had orchestrated the whole thing to "teach Clara her place."
The defense rested without calling Arthur or Beatrice to the stand. They knew it was a lost cause.
