43. Greg

I'm sitting in the courtroom, my nerves frayed from the relentless questioning and the uncomfortable spotlight on my relationship with Sam. The lawyer's insinuations had hit a nerve, igniting a fury within me. I wanted to lash out, but instead, I take a deep breath, trying to find a semblance of calm as Penny took the stand. If I lose my cool now, it'll ruin everything. But I know what's coming and know how angry Sam will be once Penny's testimony comes out.

Joshua introduces Penny with evident pride. "My wife of eight beautiful years," he said, setting the stage for her testimony. His question was straightforward: "Do you waive your spousal privilege so as to allow me to question you in the matter of Sam's case?" Penny quickly agrees, and he dives in. "Okay then, do you remember the night of April 5th, 2014?"

Penny nodded. "But I'm guessing what Sam told isn't the truth." The ripple of shock worked through the crowd. Penny hadn't been in the courtroom while Sam was giving her testimony. I move forward in my seat. The only person not shocked seemed to be Joshua.

"Please, can you tell us the events as you remember them?" Penny nods again, taking a shuddering breath.

"I was lying in bed. I had been throwing up for days and had finally gone to the doctor for some Zofran and a flu test. The medicine had made me a little groggy, so I had been in bed most of the day."

Joshua leans against the witness stand and crosses his legs. "Where was your wonderful boyfriend during all this?"

"Studying for the bar exam at the law library. So, I was alone for the night. I do remember it was raining hard and I had called to tell you the ceiling was leaking. You promised to come over the next morning to take a look."

He nodded and adjusted his tie. "Since we're under oath, I can finally admit I have no idea how to fix a ceiling leak." The courtroom chuckled. "Please continue."

"Right after I got off the phone with you, the phone rang again. I thought maybe you forgot to tell me something so I answered right away. But the line was quiet. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was Sam." She took a shaky breath, and Joshua leaned forward.

"What did you hear?" His tone is careful as if he knows exactly how hard it is for Penny to talk about that night.

"A scream, far from the phone, but it was Sam's voice. It sounded…" she pauses for a moment to steady her breathing again. "Horrifying."

The courtroom is silent, hanging on every word as she describes the terror in Sam's screams.

"What did you do?"

"Grabbed my keys and jumped in my car. This wasn't the first time she'd called me like this."

"But why didn't you call the police?" Joshua asks gently.

Penny swiftly clarifies that the close ties between the police chief and Kevin's father had instilled fear in them, preventing them from reporting the abuse. Her intention was to, like before, separate Sam from Kevin and personally tend to her sister's injuries.

Joshua paused, letting the gravity of her words sink in. "You said this had happened in the past?" Penny nods and recounts one particular incident where she had taken Sam to the hospital for a broken nose.

He held up his finger. "On October 14th, 2013, right?" Walking over to his bench, he grabs a folder.

"Can you read this for me? It's Item C on the evidence list."

She opened the folder and started reading, "Patient presents with bruises, and broken nose, in patterns indicative of domestic abuse. Patient denies abuse. Will follow up with the local PD."

Tears streamed down Penny's face as she finished the chart note. She set it aside and wiped her face. "I knew he was going to kill her eventually. Every time my phone rang, my heart would stop, thinking it was someone calling to tell me she was dead." Joshua reaches into his pocket and presented her a tissue. The courtroom remained hushed, enveloped in the raw emotion of the moment.

"I know this is hard, honey. Can you please tell us what happened when you arrived?"

Penny continues her testimony, her voice steadier now. She described arriving at the house that fateful night and finding Kevin straddling Sam, hands around her throat.

"I shouted for him to get off her. Screamed at the top of my lungs, but he didn't hear me or ignored me." She wiped her eyes again. "That's when I saw the gun. Sam had told me she bought it, mostly to reassure me I think."

"Did you grab it?" Joshua asks. She nods, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"I told him again to get off her. She was turning purple." She started to shudder, her shoulders shaking.

"It's okay. Just finish the story and we can go home, Penny."

"He finally realized I was there and pointing a gun at him. He jumped off her and started coming at me. He was screaming for me to mind my own business."

The courtroom was spellbound as Penny recounted the tense standoff with Kevin. He had turned towards her, hurling insults and threats, his aggression palpable even in her retelling.

Then, a heavy silence fell over the room as Penny's voice faltered. My eyes darted between Penny and Sam, knowing that confusion and concern was etched on my face. Sam looked ghostly pale, her body leaning forward, head shaking in disbelief.

Suddenly, Penny's tears stop. She looks right at Joshua, and I can hardly breathe, knowing what she's about to say. "I pulled the trigger."

The revelation sends shockwaves through the courtroom. Everyone was stunned. The narrative they had all believed, the story that had defined their understanding of that night, had just been upended. Penny, not Sam, had been the one to take that fateful action.

The gravity of her confession hung heavily in the air, reshaping the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.