Chapter 17 - The Version They Wanted Everyone to See
The courthouse lobby smelled of old coffee and wet coats. Outside, two cameras waited near the steps. I kept my head down. June was with Rebecca's husband at home, making pancakes and staying well away from television coverage.
Celia arrived wearing a pale gray suit instead of a wedding gown. Her lawyer showed the judge a twenty-second video of me crossing the bridal suite, catching her wrist, and both women stumbling into broken glass. He said the scene proved I was dangerous.
Rebecca rose after the judge finished watching.
"May we show the complete recording?"
The original footage began earlier. It showed June apologizing for the spilled drink. Celia called her a burden. Tessa kept filming. Celia struck June. I entered carrying roses. Then the second raised hand, the intercepted wrist, and the collision with the glass stand.
There was no cheering in court. The judge looked at the full video, asked several precise questions, and denied Celia's requested order on the evidence presented. The decision did not decide any criminal case, but it took away the story she had tried to sell.
Outside, a reporter shouted, "Mr. Ellis, do you regret canceling the wedding?"
I stopped only long enough to say, "My daughter is safe. That's what matters."
I hoped that would be the end of public attention. Instead, my phone filled with strangers criticizing June for ruining a bride's day. I shut it off.
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At lunch, the financial investigator called. The Wren Harbor director had given a recorded statement. Leonard Price had supplied forms designed to make family separations appear voluntary. Victor's businesses had paid him. Celia had signed several referral requests.
"We've also recovered a list," the investigator said. "It includes names of other children. June wasn't the first."
