The bathroom door clicked open, and the humid fog of a hot shower rolled into the hallway, smelling faintly of Ethan’s cedarwood body wash. He stepped out with a white towel slung low around his waist, water droplets glistening on the sharp planes of his shoulders—shoulders that had felt like home for four years, but now looked like foreign territory. / Chapter 14 / 20

Chapter 14 - The Testimony of Truth"Dr. Montgomery," Assistant U.S. Attorney Vance began, stepping up to the podium with a calm, authoritative demeanor. "Could you describe for the court your professional relationship with the defendant, Dr. Ethan Sterling, prior to October of last year?"

"We were co-principal investigators on an oncology research grant focusing on targeted peptide sequencing," I answered, my voice steady, echoing clearly through the courtroom speakers. "Our collaboration spanned four years, during which I provided primary funding oversight, clinical trial design, and foundational laboratory direction."

"And did Dr. Sterling have authorization to transfer the primary patent holdings of this research to an independent corporate entity without your explicit, dual-signed consent?"

"Never," I replied instantly. "Under federal grant guidelines and institutional bylaws, any transfer of intellectual property requires unanimous written authorization from all primary investigators. Dr. Sterling executed the transfer deliberately while concealing it through administrative spoofing."

Defense attorney Mitchell stood up abruptly. "Objection, Your Honor. Speculation regarding the defendant’s intent."

"Overruled, Mr. Mitchell," Judge Harrison’s federal appointee, Judge Evelyn Vance, replied smoothly. "The witness is an expert principal investigator testifying on institutional protocol and digital audit verification. Proceed, Mr. Vance."

For the next two hours, I walked the court through the technical architecture of the data theft. I presented the server logs, the timestamped metadata modifications, and the exact moment my secure terminal flagged the unauthorized payload delivery. I didn't raise my voice. I didn't display anger. I simply laid out the unalterable facts of the crime, letting the science speak for itself.

When the prosecution rested its questioning, Judge Vance turned to Ethan’s defense counsel.

"Your witness, Mr. Mitchell."

Mitchell looked down at Ethan, who whispered frantically in his ear for several seconds before shaking his head.

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"No questions, Your Honor," Mitchell said quietly, sitting back down.

Ethan slumped forward in his chair, burying his face in his shackled hands. The defense had no counter-argument because the data was mathematically airtight.