For years, my stepfather kept my twin sister and me living in constant fear, as though our suffering was the only thing that satisfied him. One night, after beating us until we both lost consciousness, he carried us into the emergency room while my mother quietly told the doctors, “They just fell down the stairs.”

Every person in the courtroom waited for my answer.

“So is needing evidence to survive dinner.”

Silence filled the courtroom.

The prosecution immediately began dismantling the defense. A digital forensic expert spent nearly an hour explaining the recordings, demonstrating their original metadata, timestamps, cloud synchronization, and encryption history. Every file was authentic, every recording was complete, and none of the evidence had been altered in any way.

Dr. Marcus Cooper testified next, carefully explaining that our injuries reflected repeated abuse over many months rather than isolated accidents. After him, our trust attorney presented the forged guardianship petitions beside authentic financial records and handwriting samples, exposing every fraudulent document Edric had prepared in his attempt to steal our inheritance.

Then Chloe took the witness stand.

She remained calm until describing the night she believed I had died.

“I woke up on the floor.”

She paused, struggling to steady her voice.

“I thought Faye was dead.”