Cassie Ventura was cross examined by Sean “Diddy” Combs’ defense team on Thursday after being on the stand for about nine hours between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lawyers for Combs are seeking to portray his ex-girlfriend, Ventura, as a willing participant in his sexual lifestyle and say while he could be violent, nothing he did amounted to a criminal enterprise.

The defense planned to finish Ventura’s cross-examination by the end of the day Friday so her testimony concludes before her baby arrives. Ventura is set to give birth to her third child next month.

Prosecutors say Combs, 55, exploited his status as a powerful music executive to violently force Ventura and other women to take part in these encounters with sex workers, which he called “freak-offs,” and of using his network of employees to facilitate illegal activities, which is a key part of the racketeering charge.

Before cross-examination started Thursday, prosecutors and defense attorneys argued about the type of text messages the defense could show to the jury. The defense wanted to use “colorful” text messages between Ventura and Combs from when Combs thought Ventura was seeing other people, according to CNN.

Ventura, 38, considered to be the key witness in the sex-trafficking trial, spent the first two days describing in detail to prosecutors the disturbing acts Combs allegedly had her commit during “freak offs” and provided background on the hotel surveillance video made public by CNN showing Combs beating her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment and faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on all charges. He is facing charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, transportation for purposes of prostitution and racketeering conspiracy.

Defense attorney Anna Estevao on Thursday began questioning Ventura in a gentle tone of voice compared to cross-examinations beginning with efforts to unsettle or agitate a witness, according to the Associated Press, which was inside the courtroom.

“You and Sean Combs were in love for 11 years. You loved him and believed that he loved you as well,” Estevao said. The attorney said Ventura’s love explained, “Why it hurt so badly when he lied. … When he cheated on you.” Ventura responded “Yes” to both.

Estevao went on to show the jury messages from the early part of Combs and Ventura’s relationship that exhibited kindness and love.

In April 2010, Ventura told Combs: “Going to sleep now so it can be tomorrow faster and you can be home. Love you!!!” Combs replied: “Love my baby.”

Ventura read numerous explicit messages, including some in which she described in graphic detail what she wanted to do during the freak-offs. At one point, she asked for a short break from the readings, which the judge granted.

In August 2009, Combs asked her when she wanted to have the next episode, and she replied, “I’m always ready to freak off.” Two days later, Ventura sent an explicit message, and he replied in eager anticipation. She responded: “Me Too, I just want it to be uncontrollable.” Combs’ lawyers have insisted sex at the freak-offs was consensual.

Later that year, however, she had also sent Combs messages saying she was frustrated with the state of their relationship and needed something more from him than sex.

As the messages were read, Combs appeared relaxed at the defense table, sitting back with his hands folded and his legs crossed. Combs was also seen passing sticky notes to his attorney during Ventura’s testimony, according to CNN.

While prosecutors have focused on Combs’ desire to see Ventura having sex with other men, she testified she sometimes watched Combs have sex with other women. She said Combs described it as part of a “swingers lifestyle.”

Estevao asked Venturaa directly whether she thought freak offs were related to the swingers lifestyle.

“In a sexual way,” Ventura responded, before adding: “They’re very different.”

Ventura has testified these encounters were fueled by drugs and would last hours and even days, with her sometimes taking IV fluids to recover and eventually developing an opioid addiction because it made her “feel numb” afterwards.

More messages about the “freak offs” were shown to the jury, with one having Ventura asking Combs to stop playing the victim, according to CNN.

“That’s all you wanted and that’s why I was upset,” Ventura wrote, “I love our (“freak offs”) when we both want it.”

Defense read messages between Combs and Ventura, with Combs telling Ventura that he had a “surprise package coming from out of state,” CNN reported.

Ventura confirmed Combs would occasionally be the one to pick up supplies or contact escorts when preparing for a “freak off.”

Estevao read out some of the text messages Combs sent to Ventura, with him saying “didn’t hear from you so I just put some plans in motion let me know to stop,” and “just let me know if I’m headed in wrong direction so I can cancel.”

Defense also tried to confirm with Ventura that the baby oil that was used during “freak offs” was not laced with drugs, but the judge sustained an objection to the question.

On Wednesday, Ventura confirmed for the first time, that she settled a civil suit with Combs for $20 million in 2023, CNN, which was permitted to be in the courtroom, reported. Ventura said she wrote a book in 2023 about the pain she was in from what she experienced with him and that she sent the book through a lawyer to Combs, offering him the rights to the book for $30 million.

“I wanted to be compensated for the time, the pain, the many many years of having to fix my life,” she said.

As further proof of the alleged abuse, jurors were shown photos from prosecutors of the “freak off” videos Ventura said Combs would regularly threaten to publicize. She said she felt trapped and didn’t want to make him angry.

When asked by a prosecutor if she would ever try to fight back against Combs, Ventura said she tried to earlier in the relationship but she learned “it could escalate the fight more, make it worse for myself.”