Chapter 13 - THE DEFENDANT'S DESPERATE STAND
Against the strict advice of her defense counsel, Elena insisted on taking the witness stand in her own defense. She wore a plain gray prison jumpsuit, her face pale and drawn as she swore an oath before the federal court.
"I never wanted to kill him; I only wanted him to step down from the board so we could save our marriage," Elena wept dramatically. Prosecutor Miller rose slowly for cross-examination, fixing a cold, piercing stare upon the emotional defendant.
"Is that why you researched lethal dosage thresholds on your encrypted tablet twenty minutes after your husband signed his will?" Miller asked sharply. Elena froze on the stand, her voice catching in her throat as she searched desperately for an evasive answer.
The courtroom fell dead silent, the weight of her perjury hanging heavily in the tense, suffocating air of the room. Judge Harrison watched her closely, noting every micro-expression of guilt and panic registered on her face.
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Elena stepped down from the stand in total disgrace, her fabricated narrative completely demolished under cross-examination. The defense rested its case immediately afterward, knowing that any further testimony would only worsen her inevitable fate.
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