Chapter 233: Decision time
Final Day of Trial – Afternoon Session. Defense Rebuttal
The courtroom was thick with tension. The prosecutor’s counterattack had planted doubt, and the jury had seen everything—the photos, the timelines, the tears. It was time for Ethan’s last stand.
Ethan stood slowly, buttoned his jacket, and stepped to the center of the courtroom. His voice, when it came, was quiet, but every word landed like a stone.
"Let me tell you a story," he began. "It’s about a woman."
He paced slowly, addressing the jury directly.
"She ran away from everything she knew, her home, her family, her name, because a man promised to destroy her. A man who beat her, stalked her, and wouldn’t let her live. She became a shadow, living paycheck to paycheck, raising a sick baby alone. She never asked for pity. She asked to survive."
He stopped in front of the jury box.
"This case isn’t about her decisions. It’s about her desperation. About a woman forced to choose between letting her daughter be abused or fighting back."
He pointed gently toward Maria, who sat with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "She’s not perfect. But she’s not a murderer."