CHAPTER 8 — Claire Went Into Labor… While the Verdict Was Still Unfinished
The hearing was immediately suspended.
Not because of the evidence.
Because Claire suddenly grabbed the edge of the witness table.
A sharp pain shot through her body.
She closed her eyes.
Another contraction followed.
Dr. Melanie Foster, seated in the gallery, was already moving before anyone else reacted.
"Claire!"
She reached her just as Claire doubled over.
"My water..."
Claire whispered.
"...it broke."
Panic swept through the courtroom.
Reporters rushed toward the exits.
Court officers cleared the room.
Within minutes, an ambulance was waiting outside the courthouse.
Grant instinctively stepped forward.
"I want to go with her."
Two federal marshals immediately blocked his path.
"You're not going anywhere."
He watched helplessly as Claire was wheeled away.
For the first time...
He realized his son could be born without him ever holding him.
Hours later...
St. Matthew Medical Center was surrounded by media from around the world.
Security officers sealed every entrance.
No visitors.
No exceptions.
Inside the delivery room, Claire fought through wave after wave of pain.
Dr. Melanie smiled reassuringly.
"You're doing beautifully."
Claire squeezed her hand.
"I just want him safe."
Outside, Claire's parents waited together.
Marjorie Waverly quietly joined them.
No one said a word.
Old enemies had become unlikely allies.
Then...
A baby's cry echoed through the hallway.
Strong.
Clear.
Beautiful.
Everyone looked toward the delivery room.
Minutes later, Dr. Melanie stepped outside with tears in her eyes.
"Congratulations."
"It's a healthy little boy."
Claire named him Ethan Bennett.
Not Ethan Waverly.
The decision spread through social media within minutes.
Millions applauded.
But while the world celebrated...
Federal investigators made another discovery.
Inside Grant's encrypted laptop was a scheduled transfer of nearly two hundred million dollars to offshore accounts.
The transfer was set to execute automatically that very night.
Even from custody...
Grant had still been trying to hide his fortune.
The government froze every account before midnight.
By sunrise...
Everything he had spent a lifetime building was under federal control.
And Grant finally understood something terrifying.
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The trial hadn't ended.
It was only getting worse.
