Chapter 7
The trial began on a Monday.
The courtroom was full. Cameras lined the back wall.
Daniel sat at the defense table, pale and defensive.
His lawyer tried to paint me as bitter and vengeful.
“She wanted to be the hero,” he said. “So she made up a villain.”
But we had the evidence.
We showed the notebook. We showed the receipts. We showed Chloe’s testimony. We showed the recordings of Daniel bragging about cheating and stealing.
Elias took the stand. He spoke calmly about that first conversation, about the sketches, about how Daniel listened and waited.
When the prosecutor asked, “Did you ever sell your rights to Daniel Carter?”
Elias looked right at Daniel. “Never. He took them without asking. Without paying. Without respect.”
I testified last.
I told the court about the sleepless nights, the sacrifices, the moment I realized I was living with a stranger.
“I didn’t build this company for money,” I said. “I built it to prove that ordinary people can build something extraordinary. And he tried to make it all about him.”
The jury listened closely.
After three days of arguments, the judge sent them to deliberate.
We waited in the hallway. Elias held my hand. My dad sat on my other side.
Two hours later, the clerk called us back.
The jury stood.
“On all counts,” the foreperson said, “we find the defendant guilty.”
Gasps filled the room. Daniel slumped forward.
The judge sentenced him to seven years in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of every dollar he stole.
As they led him away, Daniel looked at me one last time. There was no anger left—only emptiness.
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I felt no joy. Only relief.
It was over.
