Chapter 13 - THE COURTROOM
Eleanor Carter entered court wearing navy blue.
She looked elegant.
Controlled.
Almost offended by the existence of consequences.
The charges included wire fraud, insurance fraud conspiracy, identity theft, forgery, embezzlement, and theft from a family trust.
Her attorney negotiated.
The evidence was too overwhelming for a trial to be wise.
Amanda testified before the plea hearing.
So did Dominic.
That was the moment Eleanor finally broke.
She stared at her son from the defense table.
“You would do this to your own mother?”
Dominic looked at her.
“I’m telling the truth.”
“I raised you.”
“And you used my name to steal.”
“I did everything for this family.”
“No.”
Dominic’s voice remained steady.
“You did everything to control this family.”
Eleanor looked toward Harold.
He did not rescue her.
Then she looked toward Chloe.
Chloe lowered her eyes.
For the first time, Eleanor stood alone.
She pleaded guilty to multiple financial charges.
The assault involving my torn dress was handled separately.
I declined to request the maximum penalty for that offense.
Not because I forgave her.
Because I did not need prison to prove what had happened to me mattered.
The financial crimes were enough.
Eleanor ultimately received a sentence that would keep her away for several years, followed by restitution and supervised release.
Chloe’s case was different.
Prosecutors believed she had participated in attempted evidence planting but had not known about the larger insurance fraud before the wedding.
She pleaded guilty to a lesser conspiracy charge and received probation, community service, mandatory counseling, and substantial legal costs.
Nathan filed for annulment.
Their marriage lasted eleven days on paper.
Less than one day in reality.
Amanda also received probation after cooperating fully.
The original diamond was eventually recovered.
The man who purchased it had resold it through an international dealer.
Authorities traced it to Geneva.
William Pierce got it back four months later.
He did not give it to Nathan.
He sold it.
Then he donated part of the money to a legal aid organization for victims of financial abuse.
When I heard that, I smiled.
My own divorce moved quietly.
Dominic did not fight me.
Our attorneys negotiated custody arrangements before our daughter was born.
He requested joint legal custody and a gradual parenting schedule.
I agreed.
My father did not.
He argued with me for forty-five minutes.
“He failed you.”
“Yes.”
“He may fail her.”
“Then we respond if he does.”
My father stared at me.
“You are very forgiving.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I’m separating husband from father.”
That silenced him.
“Dominic does not get another chance as my husband.”
I placed a hand over my stomach.
“But he deserves the opportunity to become a good father unless he proves otherwise.”
My father sighed.
“You got that from your mother.”
“Which part?”
“The part where your decisions remain annoying after I lose the argument.”
I smiled.
Three weeks before my due date, the divorce paperwork was nearly complete.
Then, one rainy Tuesday morning, I woke with a sharp pain across my abdomen.
I checked the clock.
5:12 a.m.
Another contraction came six minutes later.
May you like
My daughter had apparently decided she was finished waiting for everyone else to get their lives together.
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