Chapter 7 - The Trial of Vance Global
Three months later, the high-profile criminal trial of State v. Julian Vance and Selina Cole commenced at the downtown district courthouse.
The courtroom was packed to the brim with journalists, legal scholars, and curious spectators. The trial had captured national attention—a classic story of corporate greed, infidelity, and brutal domestic violence brought down by modern technology.
Selina Cole took the stand on the fourth day of the trial, wearing a plain grey prison dress, her hair pinned back simply. Under her plea agreement with the prosecution, she took the stand to testify against Julian.
"Mr. Vance was entirely obsessed with removing his wife from the corporation," Selina testified under oath, her voice cold and calculated. "He told me repeatedly that Nora was investigating the company's books. On the day of the attack, he instructed me to create a disturbance at the house so he would have an excuse to confront her."
Julian’s defense attorney jumped up. "Objection! The witness is deflecting her own role in the $50 million embezzlement!"
"Overruled," the judge stated sternly. "The witness may continue."
Selina looked directly at Julian, who sat at the defense table in a cheap suit, glaring at her with venomous hatred.
"Julian told me that if Nora was gone, we could merge our personal accounts and flee the country if the federal audit ever caught up with us," Selina continued without a shred of remorse. "He was the one who picked up the knife. He was the one who stabbed her."
When it was my turn to take the stand, the entire courtroom fell into absolute silence.
I was nine months pregnant, standing tall and proud as I walked to the witness box. I swore the oath, sat down, and looked directly at the jury.
The prosecutor, a formidable woman named District Attorney Elena Vance (no relation to Julian), stepped forward.
"Mrs. Vance," DA Elena said gently, "can you walk the jury through the events of that afternoon?"
I spoke clearly, my voice ringing with quiet power through the courtroom speakers. I described the moment Selina walked into the room, the false allegations, Julian’s sudden rage, and the terrifying coldness of the blade as it entered my abdomen.
"And what did you do as you lay bleeding on the floor, Mrs. Vance?" Elena asked.
"I knew that if I died, my husband and his mistress would paint me as a crazy, bitter woman who attacked them," I replied, looking directly at the twelve jury members. "I knew I had to survive for my children. So I played dead, and I activated the audio recorder on my smartwatch."
Elena turned toward the court clerk. "The prosecution calls for the playing of State's Exhibit 4."
The courtroom lights were dimmed slightly. The high-definition audio recording began playing over the courtroom’s surround-sound speakers.
The sound of Julian’s voice—cold, detached, saying, "She's gone... I did it, Selina. We're free"—filled the silent room.
Several jurors gasped. One woman on the jury turned her head away, wiping tears from her eyes as the agonizing sound of my labored breathing and Selina’s cold, triumphant laugh echoed off the mahogany walls.
At the defense table, Julian put his hands over his ears, slumping down in his chair, unable to listen to the sound of his own monstrous act.
"No further questions, Your Honor," DA Elena said, turning back to her table with absolute confidence.
The jury deliberated for less than two hours—one of the fastest verdicts for a capital offense in the state's history.
When the court reconvened, the jury foreman stood up, holding the verdict sheets.
"On the count of attempted first-degree murder, how do you find the defendant, Julian Vance?"
"Guilty," the foreman announced.
"On the count of attempted feticide?"
"Guilty."
"On the count of grand larceny and corporate fraud?"
"Guilty."
Julian slumped forward, his forehead hitting the wooden table as his public defender sighed softly, patting his back in half-hearted consolation.
Two weeks later, the judge delivered the final sentence.
For his crimes, Julian Vance was sentenced to forty-five years in maximum-security state prison without the possibility of parole. Selina Cole, under her plea bargain, was sentenced to twelve years in federal prison for grand larceny and accessory to attempted murder, alongside full asset forfeiture.
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As the bailiffs led Julian away in heavy chains, he turned toward me one last time, his eyes wide, filled with a hollow, endless despair.
I didn't look back. I stood up, walked out of the courtroom into the bright afternoon sunlight, and took my first deep, free breath in three long years.
