At John Edwards Trial, Friend Tells of Wife's Torment GREENSBORO, N.C. - Elizabeth Edwards put herself through emotional and mental gymnastics to find a way to believe that her husband, former Senator John Edwards, had not conceived a child with a campaign videographer, one of Mrs. Edwards's closest friends told a federal jury here on Wednesday. Gerry Broome/Associated Press Former Senator John Edwards on Wednesday, arriving at court in Greensboro, N.C. The friend, Jennifer Palmieri, became the latest witness in the government's effort to prove that Mr. Edwards was guilty of conspiracy and violations of campaign finance laws by directing an aide to claim paternity of the child and use almost $1 million from two wealthy donors to hide Mr. Edwards" affair with the videographer, Rielle Hunter. But for the most part, the three weeks of testimony focused more on the personal drama of the Edwardses" marriage than on the complexities of campaign donations. And except for a witness from the Federal Election Commission, the focus on Wednesday remained the same. Ms. Palmieri, 45, who joined the White House five months ago as deputy communications manager, recounted how Mrs. Edwards had wanted her husband to stay quiet about the affair and get out of the 2008 presidential campaign to "keep the family intact." "Her telling me that she believed him to be the father of the child was a long-dawning process," Ms. Palmieri told the court. I think that knowing she didn't have a long time to live, it was very hard for her to imagine a life outside of this family she had built. Even after Mr. Edwards admitted the paternity and the couple separated, Mrs. Edwards said she wanted him by her side when cancer finally took her life, Ms. Palmieri told the court. Ms. Palmieri, who once served as an Edwards campaign press secretary, was with Mrs. Edwards during her last moments in 2010, as was Mr. Edwards. Breaking into tears, she said Mrs. Edwards had feared "that when she died, there would not be a man around who loved her." Mr. Edwards, too, seemed shaken as Ms. Palmieri spoke of his wife's death, covering his face with his hands. "I said: "I will be there. He will be there," " Ms. Palmieri said. Earlier in the day, Mr. Edwards's famous $400 haircuts in 2007 came back to haunt him. Prosecutors introduced into evidence an expense report his campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission during his run for the Democratic presidential nomination. The document is a critical piece of the prosecution's strategy because it suggests that the Edwards camp at one point considered that kind of personal expense a cost of the campaign. Prosecutors have also spent some time questioning former aides on how much Mr. Edwards knew about campaign finance reporting, and exploring when Andrew Young, the aide at the center of the cover-up, was paid and whether the money came from one of the political committees that supported Mr. Edwards, from the campaign or from an individual Edwards supporter. The government's case hinges on proving that money from Rachel Mellon, an heir to a banking and pharmaceutical fortune, and Fred Baron, a wealthy Texas lawyer, was used to support Mr. Young, his family and Ms. Hunter while they hid from the news media in an attempt to save Mr. Edwards's presidential campaign. Mr. Edwards has said he did not know that Mr. Young, who testified that Mr. Edwards had asked him to claim paternity, was asking for the money or that it was being used to support the baby and Ms. Hunter. Testimony has both supported and rebutted his assertions. For much of the trial, speculation has swirled about when Ms. Hunter will testify. Although she has immunity from prosecution, the government's list of remaining witnesses did not include her. Ms. Hunter lives in Charlotte with her daughter, now 4. Mr. Edwards supports the family and travels to Charlotte to visit his daughter. Whether Ms. Hunter will testify for the defense, which is expected to begin its case on Friday, is unclear.