Six months later, the city superior courtroom was packed with news reporters, corporate executives, and curious citizens. Victoria sat at the defense table in a bright orange prison jumpsuit, her hair unstyled and her wrists chained to a leather belt around her waist.
Julian sat in the witness stand wearing his dark grey suit, his voice calm, firm, and icy as he testified before the judge and jury.
Prosecutor: "Mr. Vance, can you describe what happened when you entered your foyer on the morning of September twelfth?"
Julian: "I saw Victoria standing on the upper balcony. She looked down, said 'You don't belong in this family,' and shoved my daughter over the railing."
Defense Lawyer: "Objection! My client maintains that the child slipped near the railing!"
Judge: "Overruled. The witness may continue."
Prosecutor: "And what evidence did you hand over to the police, Mr. Vance?"
Julian: "I handed over direct 4K security video from our encrypted home cloud server."
The prosecutor turned toward the large projection screen on the courtroom wall and pressed a button on his remote control.
The high-definition video began playing. The entire courtroom went completely silent as the footage clearly showed Victoria grabbing little Lily by her shoulders and shoving her over the balcony railing right under the American flag.
Gasps of utter horror erupted from the jury box. Several jurors covered their mouths in shock as Lily's terrified screams filled the courtroom speakers.
Victoria slammed her chained hands against the wooden table, screaming hysterically at the judge.
Victoria: "Turn it off! That video is fake! He modified it to ruin my life!"
Judge: "Silence in the court! One more outburst from the defendant and she will be removed to a holding cell!"
Prosecutor: "Your Honor, the digital forensics team has verified the authenticity of this footage. It proves premeditated attempted murder beyond any shadow of a doubt."
The jury deliberated for less than fifteen minutes before returning to the courtroom with their final, unanimous verdict.
Judge: "Has the jury reached a verdict?"
Jury Foreman: "We have, Your Honor. On count one, attempted first-degree murder, we find the defendant guilty. On count two, felony child abuse, guilty. On count three, insurance fraud, guilty."
Victoria collapsed into hysterical sobs as the judge slammed his wooden gavel down hard onto the bench.
Judge: "Victoria Vance, for your heartless, calculated, and terrifying actions against a defenseless toddler, I sentence you to thirty-five years in state prison without the possibility of parole."
The court bailiffs grabbed Victoria by her arms and dragged her out toward the holding cell. She screamed Julian's name, but he didn't even turn his head to look at her as she was led away forever.