Chapter 225: Saving her
Stacks of files covered the long oak dining table, the only source of light being the lamp angled toward the center, casting long shadows over crime scene photos, blood-smeared reports, and a worn hospital document bearing Maria-Isabel’s name.
Rafael leaned over the table, sleeves rolled up, cigarette between his fingers—unlit, but twitching like he wanted to light it every second.
Ethan stood across from him, a hand braced against the edge of the table, eyes scanning Maria’s initial arrest report for the third time.
"Her story is solid," Rafael said finally, breaking the silence. "It’s messy, painful—but it’s real."
Ethan didn’t look up. "It’s also emotional. Which means the prosecution’s going to rip it apart."
"Not if we get ahead of them."
Ethan ran a hand through his hair, the exhaustion obvious. "We have three days to put together a timeline, prep her statement, bring in someone who can testify about Daniel’s history of abuse, and... God—Isabella. What if they try to bring her up as a witness?"
"They won’t," Rafael said confidently. "She’s barely two. And sick. Any decent judge won’t allow it."
"But her medical records are in the file now. If they spin that—her attachment to Maria, the seizures, the trauma—they could twist it as emotional manipulation."
Rafael folded his arms. "Then we hit them with the facts. We show them the body in the fridge belonged to a man Maria didn’t even invite into her life. Daniel brought that death into her apartment. He staged it. We prove Daniel had a pattern of tracking and abusing her—hell, we even bring up her childhood. If the court sees her as a victim of lifelong trauma, not just one night of chaos, we might get them to consider a reduced sentence."
Ethan scoffed. "I don’t want a reduced sentence."