Three months later, the trial began.
The courtroom was packed every single day. Journalists filled the back rows. Sketch artists worked furiously. Arthur sat behind me each morning, his hand on my shoulder. Marcus sat on my other side, his ribs healed, his hand scarred, holding mine through every testimony.
Sophia testified on the third day. She walked to the stand in a dark blue dress, her voice steady. The prosecutor asked about the offshore accounts. About David's threats. About the night she realized Kate had been taken. She answered every question without breaking.
The prosecution played Kate's video deposition. The jury watched a sixteen-year-old girl describe two years in a concrete bunker. The gray jumpsuit. The meals pushed through a slot. David's visits. David's voice telling
