Chapter 6 - The Trial
Two months later, the trial of Vanessa and Julian Vance began at the state supreme courthouse. The case had drawn massive media attention, with reporters gathered on the steps outside every morning.
Vanessa sat at the defense table, stripped of her designer clothes, wearing a orange prison jumpsuit. She still held a bitter, defiant look in her eyes.
When it was time for evidence to be presented, the prosecution brought out medical records, nanny cam footage, and financial paper trails.
Then came the crucial moment of the trial: child testimony.
Vanessa’s lawyer objected vehemently. “Your Honor, bringing two young, traumatized children into this courtroom to testify will distort their memory and prejudice the jury!”
Michael stood up from the gallery. He had prepared for this. He stepped down toward the witness stand, holding Ethan and Lily by the hand.
“Your Honor,” Michael addressed the judge respectfully. “My children do not need to testify in front of their abuser. I will speak on their behalf with their written statements.”
The judge looked down at the two small children standing bravely beside their father. “Permission granted.”
Michael pulled out two handwritten pages—drawings and simple sentences written by Ethan and Lily during their therapy sessions.
Michael read Ethan’s note aloud: “I used to think my Daddy didn't come home because I was bad. But Daddy told me he loves me every day. He saved us from the dark room. I am not scared anymore.”
Lily’s drawing was shown to the jury—a picture of a big man holding two small kids with a giant sun above their heads, and a dark shadow locked inside a cage at the bottom.
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Tears welled in the eyes of several jurors. Vanessa looked down at the table, realizing for the first time that her vanity and cruelty had completely failed.
The jury deliberated for less than two hours.
