CHAPTER 148: LITTLE VICTORY

~LAYLA~

The sound of Judge Reynolds’ gavel filled the room. "Order! Who are you, and what is the nature of your testimony?"

Daniel staggered forward. "Daniel Hart, husband of the defendant. I have evidence proving Cassandra induced her own miscarriage."

Pandemonium erupted.

Reporters surged forward, cameras flashing. Cassandra screamed from her seat, "He’s lying! He’s a liar!"

Charles stood up halfway, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the armrest, looking like he wanted to leap across the room. Bailiffs rushed forward, shoving everyone back to maintain order.

Judge Reynolds slammed her gavel repeatedly. "Silence! I will clear this courtroom if necessary! Mr. Hart, approach the bench. Slowly."

Daniel limped forward, clutching his phone in one hand and a crumpled bag in the other. With every step he took, he winced in pain but kept going.

Harlan Reed shot to his feet, looking red. "Your Honour, this is nothing but theatrical ambush! My client’s right to a fair trial..."

"Mr. Reed, approach the bench. Mr. Brennan, you too. Now."

Both lawyers moved quickly to the sidebar. Judge Reynolds leaned in closer, speaking softly but clearly enough that I could hear bits and pieces of what she was saying.

"Your Honour, this is highly irregular," Harlan hissed. "Disrupting closing arguments, no prior disclosure..."

"If the evidence is relevant, timing becomes secondary," Brennan countered. "We’re talking about potential fraud."

Reynolds cut them off. "Mr Hart claims to have physical evidence. Is that correct, Mr. Brennan?"

"According to his statement, yes, Your Honour."

"And you’re prepared to verify authenticity?"

"Immediately."

Harlan’s face darkened. "This is prejudicial! The jury’s already been influenced by this spectacle..."

"Which is why we’ll recess," Reynolds said sharply. "I need to examine this evidence before it goes anywhere near my courtroom. If it’s legitimate, we proceed. If not, Mr. Hart faces contempt charges."

"Your Honour..."

"That’s my ruling, Mr. Reed. Return to your tables."

The lawyers stepped back. Reynolds looked at Daniel, then at the courtroom.

"Court recesses for forty-five minutes. Prosecution, you will verify this witness and his evidence. Defence, prepare for cross-examination. Bailiffs, clear the gallery immediately."

The courtroom erupted again as people filed out reluctantly, voices raised in speculation.

Security guided our group into a small conference room down the hall. Daniel sank into a chair, wincing as he pressed a hand against his ribs.

Brennan locked the door behind us. "Talk. Fast. Everything."

Daniel took a shaky breath and slid his phone across the table. "I discovered a hidden compartment in Cassandra’s bedroom drawer. Inside was a white bottle labelled Mifepristone... that’s abortion pills. I confronted her about it over the phone."

"When was this?" Brennan asked, already taking notes.

"Two weeks ago. She said if I came forward with it, I’d be implicating myself too. Then I got a text from an unknown number." He pulled up his messages. "’Tell her, and you’re dead.’ That’s when I knew I was in real danger."

Axel leaned forward. "So you staged your own kidnapping?"

"Yes. I was planning to come see Layla, but I got cars on my tail. I left blood in my car as a decoy and made it look like something violent had happened. I’ve been hiding in cheap motels ever since, trying to figure out what to do."

He opened the wrinkled bag with trembling hands, pulling out a prescription bottle and a receipt. "These are the abortion pills. The receipt is dated a week before the accident. She terminated the pregnancy before Layla ever drove anywhere near her."

My stomach lurched violently. SO Cassandra could be heartless to the point of terminating her pregnancy... killing her own baby.

Axel’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek. "Why surface now? Why not come forward sooner?"

Daniel met my eyes, and I saw raw guilt etched into every line of his face. "Because I was a coward. Because I was scared. But I couldn’t let her destroy you, Layla. I loved you once. This... this is my penance for everything I put you through."

Brennan grabbed the recorder. "What’s on this?"

"The phone conversation where she threatened me. Press play."

Brennan clicked play and then Cassandra’s voice filled the room.

"Where are you?"

"I called you, so I’m asking the questions, Cass."

"Is everything okay?"

"No, everything is not okay. I found the pills, Cassandra. The abortion pills. You faked it all, didn’t you? The pregnancy, the miscarriage... all of it was a lie!"

A long pause. "You don’t understand..."

"I understand perfectly! You lied to me. You used me. You destroyed my relationship with Layla, and for what? For your twisted revenge plot?"

"It’s not that simple, Daniel. I did it for us—"

"There is no us! There never was! I’m done, Cassandra. Completely done. I’m telling Layla everything—the pills, the fake pregnancy, all of it. She deserves to know the truth."

"Daniel, wait... if you tell her, you’ll implicate yourself too. You’re already named as an accomplice in—"

The recording cut off abruptly.

The room went cold as everyone processed this.

Brennan was the first to break the silence. "Fraud conspiracy. We’ll add the charge immediately. With this evidence, she’s looking at maximum exposure on sentencing."

"Will it hold up?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"Between the pills, the receipt, the texts, and that recording? Absolutely."

Back in court, the atmosphere was electric with tension. Daniel took the stand, raising his right hand to swear in. His voice was steady despite his obvious injuries.

Brennan approached him. "Mr. Hart, please tell the court what you discovered two weeks ago."

Daniel went on to narrate everything he had told us.

Brennan presented the pills and the receipt and played the damning recording for the entire courtroom. Cassandra’s voice, admitting to the deception, echoed through the silent space. Her sobs grew louder with each passing second.

Harlan’s cross-examination was brutal. He paced in front of Daniel like a predator circling prey.

"You faked your own death for drama, Mr Hart? Left your family in anguish, thinking you’d been murdered?"

"I did what I had to do to stay alive."

"Convenient timing, isn’t it? Appearing just when your lover needs saving?"

"She’s not my lover. She’s the woman whose life my wife tried to destroy."

"You expect this court to believe you’ve been hiding for weeks out of fear, yet you miraculously appear today with perfectly preserved evidence?"

"I kept it safe because I knew it was the only way to stop her."

But despite Harlan’s aggressive questioning, the evidence held. The pills were real. The receipt was timestamped. The recording was authentic. There was no way to explain it away.

Cassandra sobbed hysterically at the defence table, her carefully constructed facade crumbling completely. Charles sat rigid beside her, staring at Daniel with undisguised murder in his eyes.

Judge Reynolds banged her gavel. "Given this new evidence, I’m adjourning until tomorrow morning. Sentencing will take place at 9 AM sharp. An additional fraud charge will be filed against the defendant. Court is dismissed."

The courtroom erupted again as people filed out. Axel’s hand found mine, squeezing tight. "It’s almost over," he murmured.

"Almost," I echoed, but my voice sounded distant even to my own ears.

We made our way toward the exit, exhaustion settling into my bones. All I wanted was to go home, to sleep for a week, to wake up and find this nightmare finally over.

But Charles blocked our path in the hallway, his expression carved from ice.

"You think this ends here?" His voice was cold, controlled, and more dangerous than any shouting could be. "Enjoy your little victory while it lasts."