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Chapter 150
Next to Estrella, Zoey was perpetually wiping tears from her cheeks. Nick’s brutal treatment of her sister was because he himself had been unfaithful-he was using her sister’s life to craft his own public image.
As Estrella mentioned the affair between him and Piper, and seeing that there was no hiding his infidelity, Nick rose from his chair with a nonchalant swagger and admitted, “Yes, I confess I didn’t love Lexi. I cheated.”
“I was upfront with Lexi about it and even suggested we get a divorce. She said she’d think about it, but then she just went off the deep end and jumped. Bottom line, everything that happened to Lexi has nothing to do with me.” Since Lexi was in a coma, he felt free to spin the narrative however he wished, without anyone to counter his claims.
Then, turning to Estrella with arrogance, he taunted, “Ms. Estrella, you think you can pin a crime on me with a few photos? Set me up? If that’s how you practice law, you might as well be better off at home doing the laundry and cooking dinner.”
Estrella simply smiled. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Continuing, she turned to address the judge, “Your Honor, the plaintiff requests to present the second piece of evidence.”
The judge nodded, “The plaintiff’s second piece of evidence is accepted.”
Nick’s face briefly betrayed his concern, but he quickly regained his composure. After all, he had never allowed Estrella into his home, so how could she possibly have any
evidence?
With the judge’s go-ahead, Estrella began playing a video as she explained, “This second piece of evidence was provided by a young member of the defendant’s community. Given that the witness is a minor and considering their safety, coupled with the fact that the evidence is a legitimate, live-action video, we won’t be compelling the witness to testify in
court.”
After Estrella finished speaking, a video from Nick’s home started playing on the projection screen. Although it wasn’t shot inside his house, it was still very clear. It showed Nick delivering a barrage of punches and kicks to Lexi, even hurling objects at her. No matter how Lexi tried to dodge or plead, Nick was relentless, each blow more
vicious than the last.
“From this video, we can clearly see the defendant’s severe propensity for violence. His abuse of the victim, Lexi, is abhorrent and also corroborates that her injuries were indeed inflicted by the defendant,” Estrella continued.
“Beyond this drone footage, we also have surveillance videos from inside the defendant’s home, providing a closer look at the brutality suffered by the victim and the final motive
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for murder.”
“Nick, please stop, I’m begging you,” Lexi’s voice echoed through the courtroom.
“Nick, Nick…”
“Nick, is it because I haven’t given you a child? The doctor said there’s nothing wrong with
I can have children. Nick, let’s not rush this, please.”
me,
When Lexi mentioned children, Nick grabbed a chair and smashed it on her, barking, “Have kids? With what money to raise them? You’re a useless waste, a disgrace. I thought marrying you would bring a decent wedding gift from your folks, but all they coughed up was a measly $200,000. You worthless tramp, have your parents transfer the house to us, or it’ll all go to that little tramp Zoey.”
As the video continued to show Nick’s brutal beating, Estrella revealed, “Defendant, are the medical reports we obtained correct? You suffer from azoospermia-you’re the one who can’t have children, right?”
Estrella didn’t hold back in exposing Nick’s infertility to the public, sparing no regard for his dignity.
In the defendant’s seat, Nick’s face turned ashen. In a fit of rage, he hurled a placard at Estrella, “You bitch, you’re invading my privacy! I’ll sue you, and you’ll rot in jail. And these videos-where did you get them from? They’re illegally obtained; none of this evidence should be admissible!”
The judge, witnessing Nick’s fury, cautioned, “Defendant, please control your emotions.”
But how could Nick stay calm after what Estrella had revealed?
“Estrella, you bitch. You’re framing my son, falsifying evidence!” Nick’s mother exploded from the spectator’s bench.
The judge, seeing the commotion, immediately had Nick’s mother escorted out of the
courtroom.
Lexi’s parents, witnessing their daughter’s abuse on video, were overcome with shock. Lexi’s mother fainted, and her father, along with staff, rushed her to the hospital. Meanwhile, Zoey, sitting beside Estrella, wept uncontrollably, heartbroken for her sister.
How could Lexi be so foolish? She got beaten, but she didn’t tell anyone and didn’t consider divorce. If they had known about the domestic abuse, they would never have allowed her to continue living with such a man
“Nick, you’re a monster,” Zoey tried to swear at him through her tears, but was too choked up to speak.
“Order, order,” the judge called for silence, then turned to Estrella and asked, “Counsel for the plaintiff, where did you obtain this evidence? Is it obtained legally?”
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Chapter Chapter 150
Estrella replied, “Your Honor, the surveillance footage from the defendant’s house was discovered accidentally on a website. The defendant, far from feeling remorse for abusing our client, actually boasted about it online, even sharing the videos.”
“As for the medical proof of the defendant’s azoospermia, he bragged about it on a dating website, showing off his physique and prowess, and boasting that there was no risk of pregnancy. We found it inadvertently.”
As the video continued to play, it showed Lexi attempting to discuss divorce calmly with Nick and him responding with more vicious beatings, claiming she had no right to ask for divorce and that he was the only one to make decisions about their relationship. He even threatened to kill her parents and her sister if she dared to speak of it outside.
Zoey understood then why her sister had never shared her plight with them. Lexi feared Nick’s madness and the potential harm to her family.
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Zoey’s sobs grew more intense, and the courtroom spectators were filled with an urge to lash out at Nick themselves. Even Nick’s own lawyer slammed his folder down on the table, his face so grave he couldn’t muster a word. It was as if the taking of Nick’s case had been a stain on him as a person and on his professional career.
Nick was in a heated tug-of-war with Estrella, jabbing a finger in her direction and yelling, “Bullshit! I never posted that online, and I certainly didn’t share any medical reports.”
Sure, Nick had been an active user online, but he was clever enough to mosaic his own face in shared images. He had a profile on the social app and had arranged a few hookups, but he had never, in fact, posted any personal health documents. Bryce had been the one to manipulate the evidence. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
As Nick vehemently denied the allegations, Estrella calmly presented screenshots of Nick’s account and past posts, including photos and videos.
“Your Honor,” she declared confidently, “we can assure the court that all evidence presented is obtained legally, all sourced from the very platforms the defendant flaunted them on. It’s all traceable.”
Nick’s head was spinning as the evidence Estrella had unveiled flashed before his eyes. For a moment, he was utterly disoriented, unable to discern whether he had actually posted those things or not.