At my birthday party, my husband tied me to a ceiling beam and whipped me thirty times because I had stained his mistress’s dress. “Maybe now you’ll learn your place,” he laughed while everyone watched. I didn’t cry. When they finally cut me down, I picked up my phone and called my five gangster brothers. “Make his entire family beg for mercy,” I whispered. Then the front gates suddenly slammed shut.

The criminal trial of State vs. Isaac Vance became the most publicized legal spectacle in the city's history.

Inside the grand courtroom of the State Supreme Court, every seat in the gallery was filled with journalists, corporate leaders, and curious citizens.

Isaac sat at the defense table, wearing a orange jumpsuit, his hands restrained by a belly chain. Beside him sat a court-appointed public defender; every top private defense firm in the state had refused to take his case after learning Julian Sterling was lead prosecutor for the victim.

At the prosecution table sat Julian, immaculate in a bespoke charcoal suit, reviewing his case notes with calm confidence.

I sat in the front row of the gallery, flanked by Noah and Marcus.

The judge pounded his wooden gavel. “Court is now in session. Case number 4082, State versus Isaac Vance.”

Julian stood up, buttoning his jacket, and approached the jury box. His voice was steady, resonant, and deeply compelling.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” Julian began, pointing toward Isaac. “The man sitting before you today believed that wealth, prestige, and a powerful family name exempted him from human decency. On the night of September sixth, he systematically bound his wife to a wooden beam and struck her thirty times in front of fifty guests.”

Isaac’s public defender stood up weakly. “Objection, Your Honor! My client was experiencing severe emotional distress due to corporate pressure—”

“Overruled,” the judge snapped instantly. “Sit down, counsel.”

Julian turned to the projection screen, activating high-definition footage captured by the Vance estate’s internal security system—footage Caleb had legally unsealed.

The entire courtroom watched in horrified silence as the video played, showing Isaac’s cruel laughter, Wendy’s mocking applause, and my bloodied back.