Chapter 5 - The Phantom Heir
A week before the trial, Marcus's defense team pulled a wildcard. They produced the man from the driveway—the "fake son."
His name was Thomas. On the stand during a pre-trial hearing, Thomas wept. He claimed he was a desperate actor hired by me.
"Elena paid me fifty thousand dollars to pretend to be her brother," Thomas lied under oath, pointing a trembling finger at me. "She forged the DNA report. She faked the audio recording to frame her husband because she was bitter about the divorce!"
A murmur erupted in the courtroom. Marcus sat at the defense table, looking infuriatingly handsome and confident. He gave me a subtle, mocking wink.
May you like
My lawyer leaned in. "They're trying to muddy the waters. Create reasonable doubt."
"Let them," I whispered. I knew something they didn't. Mom had left one final failsafe.
