Chapter 7
The first deposition was two weeks later.
I sat at a long table in a cold conference room, my lawyer on one side of me, J on the other.
Ethan sat across the table, his lawyer next to him.
He looked good.
Expensive suit, perfect hair, that charming smirk on his face like he was already winning.
He didn’t look like a man who’d beaten his wife two hundred times.
He looked like the man I’d fallen in love with, all those years ago.
My hands shook a little under the table.
J reached over, covered my hand with his, warm and steady.
I took a deep breath.
I was okay.
I was safe.
Ethan’s lawyer stood up, holding a stack of papers.
“Ms. Carter,” he said, voice smooth. “You claim my client assaulted you on the night of June fourteenth. But you’ve stayed married to him for three years. You’ve never filed a police report before. You’ve never asked for help. Isn’t it true you’re making this all up to get access to my client’s money?”
I looked him dead in the eye.
“Your client married me for my money,” I said, voice steady. “He stole my father’s company three days after our wedding, forging my signature on the transfer papers. He beat me regularly for three years. I didn’t leave because he told me he was paying for my mother’s cancer treatment. I didn’t file a police report because I was scared he’d kill me if I did.”
The lawyer smirked.
“Scared? But you left him anyway. Isn’t it true you’ve been having an affair with Mr. Jaxson Reed here? That you two planned this whole thing to steal my client’s assets?”
I felt J tense next to me.
I squeezed his hand, kept my eyes on the lawyer.
“Mr. Reed was my father’s employee. He’s been a friend of our family for over ten years. There is no affair. I called him because he was the only person I knew who could protect me from your client.”
Ethan stood up suddenly, slamming his hand on the table.
“Liar!” he yelled, pointing at me. “You’re a lying, crazy bitch! You made all this up because you couldn’t handle that I didn’t love you anymore!”
The judge banged his gavel.
“Mr. Hale! One more outburst and I’ll hold you in contempt.”
Ethan sat down, face red, glaring at me.
I didn’t flinch.
I stared right back at him.
For the first time in three years, I wasn’t scared of him.
I pitied him.
My lawyer stood up, holding up a USB drive.
“Your Honor,” he said. “This is security footage from the foyer of the Hale mansion, taken on the night of June fourteenth. It shows Mr. Hale striking Ms. Carter two hundred times with a leather belt, while Ms. Sophia Voss counts each strike aloud. It shows Mr. Hale kicking Ms. Carter while she was on the floor. It shows both of them leaving her there, unconscious, to go celebrate at the country club.”
The room went silent.
Ethan’s face went white.
His lawyer leaned over, whispering something in his ear, face panicked.
The judge took the USB drive.
“I’ll review this footage,” he said, looking at Ethan. “And based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m granting the plaintiff’s request for a full asset freeze. All of Mr. Hale’s bank accounts, properties, vehicles, and business holdings are frozen effective immediately. He is not to spend more than five hundred dollars a month on basic living expenses until this case is resolved. He is also to have no contact whatsoever with Ms. Carter, her mother, or Mr. Reed. Violate this order, and you will go straight to jail. Do I make myself clear?”
Ethan nodded, mouth tight.
We walked out of the conference room an hour later.
The sun was shining, warm on my face.
J put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.
“You did good in there,” he said, smiling. “Really good.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder.
May you like
“One step closer,” I said.
“One step closer,” he agreed.
