Chapter 17 - The Trial Preparation
Eight months later, the cold of winter had thawed into a bright, blooming spring.
Olivia sat in a private preparation room at the county courthouse. She was no longer pregnant. In her arms, she held a healthy, beautiful three-month-old baby boy, fast asleep and completely unaware of the massive legal battle raging in the building around him.
Detective Miller stood by the door, acting as her personal security detail.
"Are you ready for this?" Miller asked quietly.
"I've been ready for a year," Olivia replied, gently rocking her son.
The trial of Vanessa Harrington had become the media spectacle of the decade. Vanessa’s defense team, a group of the most expensive and aggressive lawyers in the country, had tried every dirty trick in the book to intimidate Olivia. They had filed frivolous motions to delay the trial, attempted to drag her deceased husband's name through the mud, and tried to paint Olivia as an unstable, greedy widow who threw herself down the stairs for a payout.
But their tactics had failed completely. The evidence was simply too overwhelming.
The prosecutor, a sharp, unyielding woman named Sarah Vance, walked into the prep room.
"They just rested their defense," Vance announced. "They are sticking to the story that it was a tragic accident caused by an emotional argument. It’s your turn, Olivia. We need you on the stand to close this out."
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Olivia gently handed her sleeping son to her mother, who was sitting in the corner of the room. She stood up, smoothing her tailored navy suit. She rolled her shoulders back, feeling the lingering, dull ache in her spine from the fall, using the pain to fuel her resolve.
"Let's go," Olivia said.
