Chapter 10 - The Courtroom Doors
The trial began in late October.
The courthouse steps were swarming with paparazzi.
I held Sophie's hand as we walked past the flashing cameras.
She was brave.
She squeezed my hand and held her head high.
Inside the courtroom, the air was thick with tension.
My parents sat behind the defense table.
They looked older.
The stress of the scandal had carved deep lines into their faces.
Preston sat beside his high-priced lawyer.
He was wearing a suit, but the arrogance was gone.
He kept his head down.
The jury was seated.
The judge banged his gavel.
The prosecutor stood up to deliver her opening statement.
She painted a picture of a man consumed by his own ego.
A man so desperate for attention on his wedding day that he manufactured a crisis.
A man who was willing to sacrifice a little girl's reputation just to look like a hero.
The defense tried to claim it was an accident.
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They said Preston suffered from severe stress and had a momentary lapse in judgment.
But nobody was buying it.
