Chapter 18 - The Question in Court
The judge looked at Victoria's attorney. "Has this document been authenticated?"
"We received it from counsel for the estate."
"That wasn't my question."
The courtroom went quiet.
Vega had already contacted Lily's pediatrician, who confirmed the letterhead was outdated and the signature wasn't hers. The judge declined to rely on the document and ordered the trust assets preserved while the evidence was examined.
Victoria stared at Nathan as if he had betrayed her.
"We could have had everything," she whispered when we passed in the hallway.
Nathan stopped. "You had a choice. You chose to hurt a mother and frighten a child."
"Your father started this."
"And you kept it going."
I expected him to shout. Instead, he walked away with me toward the exit. It was the first time I'd seen a Cole man refuse to turn an argument into a contest for control.
Outside, reporters crowded the courthouse steps. I kept Lily's name out of my answers. I spoke only once.
"I didn't take money to disappear," I said. "I left because I believed my daughter would be taken from me. For years, people used that fear to make choices for us. They don't get to anymore."
Vega called that afternoon. Police had arrested the woman from the fire alarm after identifying her through security footage and payment records. She had admitted the planned pickup and described receiving instructions through Pierce's office.
Later, warrants were executed at Pierce's firm and Victoria's business. Investigators seized account records, messages, and draft custody papers created before I ever applied for the kitchen job. The documents described a plan to discredit me, delay recognition of Lily, and redirect the reserve.
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A detective asked Victoria about the hockey stick. She denied striking me until shown the witness statements and photographs.
Then Pierce, sitting in a separate interview room with his lawyer, said he would explain everything - but only if the detectives opened one last sealed envelope from Wallace Cole.
