Chapter 6 - The Trial Begins
The trial of The State v. Dennis Vance opened in late autumn. The courtroom was packed with journalists, legal observers, and curious locals. Dennis sat at the defense table dressed in a sharp gray suit, but his arrogance had curdled into a cold, desperate glare. His new court-appointed defense attorney attempted to argue that Colton’s testimony was unreliable and influenced by my "animosity" over the divorce.
When I took the witness stand, I looked directly at Dennis. I felt no fear—only the fierce, unbreakable protective fury of a mother whose child had survived the unthinkable. I recounted the years of emotional manipulation, the sudden insurance policy, and the chilling phrase he spoke in Hazel's ICU room: "If she dies, how fast can we file the life insurance claim that pays me?"
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The jury was visibly shaken by the transcript of the hospital room recording, which had been captured by the ICU’s internal security system.
Next was the prosecution’s star witness: nine-year-old Colton.
