Chapter 11 - Diane's Version
Diane gave an interview through her attorney.
Her version was simple.
I was volatile.
Ryan was afraid of me.
The broom incident was self-defense.
The forged documents were misunderstandings.
The notary stamps were used by someone else.
Then investigators showed her the kitchen camera.
She changed her story.
She admitted holding the broom.
Denied intending to hit me.
She admitted notarizing some documents.
Claimed Ryan told her I had already signed.
Then investigators showed her the Denver records.
She changed her story again.
Maybe she notarized in advance.
Maybe dates were entered later.
Each explanation solved one problem and created two more.
Ryan's attorney took a different approach.
Blame Diane.
He was a stressed business owner.
His mother handled paperwork.
He never asked her to forge anything.
Then Allison's emails surfaced.
Keep pushing the stability angle.
The stories collapsed together.
I expected satisfaction.
Instead I felt tired.
Rachel noticed.
"You don't have to watch every fall."
So I stopped.
I went back to work.
I slept badly.
I started therapy with someone Ryan had never met.
I changed the house locks.
I removed Diane from every emergency contact list.
Then one evening I opened the pantry and found my wedding china.
Diane had chosen it.
I packed it into boxes.
Not because dishes were guilty.
Because I wanted my kitchen to stop feeling like a museum to people who had hurt me.
The next morning, a process server delivered Ryan's divorce petition.
He filed first.
Rachel read it.
Then laughed once.
"He wants half the house."
I stared at her.
"The house he tried to forge himself onto?"
"Yes."
Then she turned the page.
Ryan also claimed I had assaulted his mother.
He attached one photograph.
Diane on the floor after I pulled away the broom.
No video.
No context.
May you like
Just a still image.
Again, they were betting on the frame instead of the full recording.
