Chapter 7: The Past
The past came out in pieces during the trial.
Gero’s ex-girlfriend testified.
She had left him after he slapped her during an argument. She had bruises on her arms for weeks. She had never reported it because she was afraid.
A former colleague testified.
Gero had once thrown a laptop at him during a meeting. The company had settled quietly.
Beate’s therapist testified.
Beate had come to her after the third incident. She had been terrified to leave. She had believed it was her fault.
Gero’s lawyer tried to discredit them all.
“She’s exaggerating,” he said. “Marital disagreements. Stress. Pregnancy hormones.”
The prosecutor showed the video again.
Fifty lashes.
The courtroom went silent every time.
Gero finally took the stand.
He looked calm. Reasonable. The man everyone trusted with their money.
“It was discipline,” he said. “She knows the rules. Dinner must be on time. A wife must respect her husband.”
The judge asked one question.
“Did you hit your pregnant wife with a belt fifty times?”
Gero smiled.
“She needed to learn.”
The courtroom erupted in whispers.
Beate sat with her father’s hand on her shoulder and felt something inside her finally break free.
The past was no longer a secret.
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It was evidence.
And it was destroying him.
