Chapter 8 - The Courtroom Siege
The day of the trial arrived.
The courtroom was packed with journalists, socialites, and Thorne associates.
I took the stand, my stomach tight, my baby kicking in protest.
I told them everything.
I spoke of the staircase.
I spoke of the greed.
I spoke of the cold, calculated malice that had defined my time in the mansion.
Victoria sat at the defense table, her gaze locked on me, her expression unreadable.
She didn't look like a mother-in-law anymore.
She looked like a predator that had finally been caged.
When I finished, there was a heavy silence.
The jury looked at me with a mix of sympathy and horror.
I walked off the stand, my head held high.
I had faced my nightmare, and I had come out on the other side.
I looked at Victoria one last time.
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She was finally facing the consequences of a lifetime of malice.
And I knew, with absolute certainty, that I had won.
