Chapter 10 - The Criminal Trial
The media circus outside the federal courthouse was twice as large as it had been for the divorce proceedings.
Ethan Bennett was facing twenty-two counts of wire fraud, tax evasion, and witness tampering.
Claire sat in the front row of the gallery.
When Ethan was led into the courtroom, he wore an orange jumpsuit. The tailored suits were gone. His hair was unkempt. The aura of invincibility that had once made him a titan of industry had completely evaporated.
He looked over his shoulder, scanning the crowd until his eyes locked onto Claire.
He expected to see her gloating. Or perhaps, he hoped to see a flicker of the old fear.
Instead, Claire simply looked right through him.
She didn't cross her arms. She didn't shrink into her seat. She sat perfectly straight, a quiet monument of survival.
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When the prosecution began outlining how Ethan had used corporate funds to hire private investigators to stalk his own wife, the jury visibly recoiled. Ethan looked down at his handcuffed wrists.
The illusion was entirely broken.
