The key moment came when the prosecutor played the security footage.

The lights in the courtroom were dimmed.

The large screen showed the nursery at the hospital.

We saw my mother entering the room.

We saw her leaning over the incubator.

We saw her pulling the forged birth certificate from her purse.

She tried to slip it into the hospital file on the desk.

Then, the video showed her trying to unlock the wheels of the incubator.

The jury watched in complete silence.

The only sound in the courtroom was the low hum of the projector.

The defense did not call my mother to the stand.

They knew she would not hold up under cross-examination.

The trial lasted four days.

On the fifth day, the jury went into deliberation.

Megan and I sat in the hallway, drinking lukewarm coffee from paper cups.

Our friend from next door was watching Lily for us.

After three hours, a buzzer sounded.

The jury had reached a verdict.

We walked back into the courtroom and took our seats.

My mother was led in by two bailiffs.