Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former partner, Casandra Ventura, is expected to undergo a tough cross-examination beginning Thursday in the criminal trial where she has accused the music mogul of rape and over a decade of abuse.

Ventura, known professionally as Cassie, is a key witness for the prosecution in Combs’ federal trial in Manhattan. The 55-year-old founder of Bad Boy Records faces five felony charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty and, if convicted on all counts, could face a minimum of 15 years in prison, with the possibility of a life sentence.

Currently held in a Brooklyn detention facility, Combs listened as Ventura, who is pregnant with her third child, testified for a day and a half under questioning by prosecutors. His defense team has said they may spend up to two days cross-examining her.

During her testimony on Wednesday, Ventura described how Combs allegedly manipulated and threatened her during their 11-year relationship, which ended in 2018, forcing her into extended, drug-fueled sexual encounters he called “Freak Offs.”

The trial has received widespread media attention due to Combs’ celebrity status and the serious nature of the charges. Ventura’s testimony partly stems from her 2023 civil lawsuit, which was settled within 24 hours for $20 million.

Defense lawyers are expected to question Ventura about her own alleged history of domestic violence and suggest financial motives behind her claims.

Ventura explained her decision to testify by saying she could no longer live with the emotional weight of years of abuse.

“I can’t carry this anymore,” she told the jury. “I can’t carry the shame, the guilt, the way he treated people like they were disposable. What’s right is right, what’s wrong is wrong. I came here to do the right thing.”

Combs, also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, helped launch the careers of artists like Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Usher, and the Notorious B.I.G. during the 1990s and 2000s.

In addition to the criminal case, Combs is facing numerous civil lawsuits from men and women accusing him of sexual misconduct, all of which he denies, claiming his relationships were consensual.

The criminal trial is expected to last up to two months.