Chapter 8 - The Deposition (Expanded Version)
Three weeks later, I walked into a conference room at the downtown courthouse, flanked by Maya, Detective Vance, and a fierce pro-bono civil attorney named David Sterling whom Elena had helped us secure.
Daniel sat across the long oak table. He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, his wrists cuffed to a chain around his waist. The slick, untouchable confidence he had worn like armor for over a decade was entirely gone. His hair was slightly unstyled, his face drawn, and his eyes burned with a mixture of rage and sheer disbelief as he looked at me.
He had expected me to fold. He had expected me to withdraw the charges out of fear or financial desperation, just like I had done with every minor threat for over a decade.
Instead, I pulled out my chair, sat down with my back straight, and looked him directly in the eyes.
The mediator banged his gavel. "We are here for the emergency asset-freezing and divorce settlement proceedings in the matter of Mercer versus Mercer."
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Daniel’s attorney leaned over to whisper something urgently in his ear, but Daniel pushed him away, staring across the table at me. His lips moved soundlessly behind the glass partition of the holding area, forming a single word: Why?
I didn't answer with words. I simply opened my folder, placed my hand firmly on top of the documents Elena had gathered, and waited for my lawyer to speak.