Chapter 3 - The Secret in the Dollhouse
"Order! Order in the court!" the judge shouted, banging his gavel repeatedly as chaos erupted in the gallery. Photographers scrambled to capture the dramatic scene, flashbulbs exploding like lightning.
"Your Honor, this is an absurd stunt orchestrated by a desperate woman using a minor child!" Thorne shouted over the uproar, pointing an accusing finger at Clara. "Objection! Inadmissible hearsay from a coached minor!"
"Overruled, Mr. Thorne," the judge declared, leaning forward with intense curiosity. "Let the boy speak."
Idan turned around, pulling a slightly crumpled, heavy velvet jewelry box out of his oversized backpack. He held it up like a shield for everyone to see.
"She didn't steal it because I took it out of Grandma's drawer!" Idan shouted defiantly, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I didn't steal it to keep it. I saw Grandma take the necklace from the safe last month and hide it in the secret compartment of my antique wooden dollhouse in the playroom! She told the police Clara did it because she wanted Clara fired. She hated how much Dad and I loved Clara!"
Margaret shot out of her seat, her face twisted in absolute fury. "That is a malicious lie! The boy has been manipulated! He doesn't know what he's saying!"
"Silence, Madame Hamilton!" the judge ordered. He looked directly at Adam Hamilton, whose face had gone completely white. "Mr. Hamilton, is there an antique dollhouse in your son's playroom?"
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Adam swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he looked at his mother, then down at his son, and finally at Clara. A terrible, crushing realization dawned in his eyes. He had sacrificed the most honest person in his life to appease his mother's cold tyranny.
"Yes, Your Honor," Adam answered, his voice thick with shame. "There is."
