Chapter 15 - Diane’s Version of the Truth
Diane looked immaculate in court.
Pearl earrings.
Navy suit.
Perfect posture.
If I hadn’t known what she had done, I might have believed she was there to chair a charity luncheon.
Her defense was simple.
Vanessa acted independently.
Martin manipulated everyone.
Diane merely handled paperwork she believed had been authorized.
My forged signature?
A misunderstanding.
The missing money?
Reimbursements.
The livestream?
Selective editing.
The stolen drives?
An attempt to preserve evidence.
It was astonishing.
Not because the story was convincing.
Because Diane seemed to believe she could make it convincing if she spoke calmly enough.
Her lawyer asked me about attacking Vanessa.
I answered truthfully.
“Yes.”
“You slapped her?”
“Yes.”
“You used electric clippers on her hair?”
“Yes.”
“So you became violent.”
“I reacted violently.”
“Because you were angry.”
“Yes.”
He smiled slightly.
“Then perhaps your interpretation of events is influenced by emotion.”
I looked directly at him.
“My emotion doesn’t change the video.”
His smile disappeared.
He showed photographs of Vanessa’s shaved hair.
Then the prosecutor showed photographs of Lily’s injuries.
The courtroom became quiet.
Next came the trust forms.
Travel releases.
Tax documents.
Every one contained my forged signature.
The defense argued Vanessa might have signed them.
Then prosecutors played an audio recording from Diane’s own phone.
Her voice filled the courtroom.
Make Claire’s signature smaller this time.
The last one looked too clean.
Diane’s face changed.
Thomas closed his eyes.
Ryan looked at the floor.
The recording continued.
Vanessa’s voice.
What if Claire finds out?
Diane answered.
Claire doesn’t look for problems.
That sentence hurt more than I expected.
Not because she was right.
Because she had mistaken my trust for stupidity.
She thought kindness meant blindness.
She thought family loyalty meant permission.
She thought silence would last forever.
The prosecutor ended with a simple question.
“Mrs. Morgan, did you authorize Diane Morgan to sign your name?”
“No.”
“Did you authorize the commercial use of your daughter’s image?”
“No.”
“Did you authorize anyone to remove money from a trust created under your daughter’s identity?”
“No.”
I looked at Diane.
She did not look back.
Outside the courtroom, Ryan exhaled.
“That destroyed her defense.”
Monica didn’t celebrate.
“Don’t assume.”
“Why?”
“Because we still have trial.”
Then her phone buzzed.
She read the message.
Her expression sharpened.
“What?”
She looked at me.
“Martin wants to testify.”
“Against Diane?”
“And Vanessa.”
Ryan frowned.
“In exchange for what?”
“A reduced sentence.”
I felt nothing but disgust.
Even cornered, Martin was trying to turn people into currency.
May you like
But this time, the prosecutors were setting the price.
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