Chapter 12 - The Deposition of Lies
Three days later,
I found myself in a glass-walled conference room on the 40th floor of the Sterling & Associates law firm.
Across from me sat Andrew,
Gemma,
and their court-appointed lawyer.
They couldn't afford a private one anymore.
Gemma looked diminished.
The flash and fire she had carried at the gala were gone.
She was wearing a cheap,
off-the-rack suit,
and her hair was pulled back in a tight,
severe bun.
Andrew wouldn't look me in the eye.
He kept staring at the mahogany table,
fidgeting with a pen.
Marcus Sterling sat next to me,
tapping a thick file of documents.
"Let the record show,"
Sterling began,
"that we are here to discuss the unauthorized withdrawal of eighty thousand dollars from Dr. Samantha Miller’s accounts."
"As well as the fraudulent signatures on the joint account documents."
Gemma’s lawyer,
a tired-looking man named Mr. Henderson,
sighed.
"My clients maintain that the funds were intended for shared marital expenses."
"They weren't married when the money was taken,"
Sterling countered,
his voice sharp.
"And Dr. Miller never intended to share those funds with Ms. Salas."
"He told me it was okay!"
Gemma burst out,
pointing a finger at Andrew.
"He said it was his money too!"
"He said she was too busy at the hospital to care about the bills!"
Andrew finally looked up,
his face pale.
"I thought... I thought we were a team, Sam."
"A team?"
I asked,
speaking for the first time.
"A team doesn't steal in the dark, Andrew."
"A team doesn't plan a wedding with another woman while I'm saving a child's life."
I turned to Gemma.
"And as for you,"
"I want the ring."
"Now."
Gemma gripped her hand,
covering the diamond.
"It was a gift!"
"It was a gift bought with my money,"
I said.
"Marcus?"
Sterling pushed a document across the table.
"This is the receipt from the jeweler,"
Sterling said.
"Paid in full by Dr. Samantha Miller’s credit card."
"The card Mr. Foster had 'for emergencies'."
"Apparently,"
"marrying your mistress is an emergency."
The room was silent.
The legal weight of what they had done was finally settling on them.
"If you return the ring now,"
Sterling said,
"we may consider reducing the civil damages in the fraud suit."
"If you don't,"
"I'll have a sheriff meet you in the parking lot to seize it."
Gemma looked at Andrew,
hoping for support.
He said nothing.
He looked like he wanted to vanish into the floor.
Slowly,
with a trembling hand,
Gemma pulled the ring off her finger.
She slammed it onto the table.
"Take it!"
she spat.
"It’s cursed anyway."
I picked up the ring.
The diamond caught the light,
sparkling with a cold,
brilliant fire.
It was beautiful,
but it no longer held any meaning for me.
I handed it to Sterling.
"Sell it,"
I said.
"Donate the proceeds to the Pediatric Trauma Center."
"I don't want a single cent from this mistake in my life."
Andrew looked like I had slapped him.
He had expected me to be sentimental.
He had expected me to cry.
He didn't realize that I had already performed the autopsy on our relationship.
There was nothing left to save.
"We’re not done,"
Sterling said,
opening another folder.
"Now,"
"let's talk about the house."
"And the furniture."
"And the car Mr. Foster is currently driving."
By the time the deposition ended four hours later,
Andrew and Gemma were facing a mountain of debt and the very real possibility of criminal charges.
As we walked out into the hallway,
Zachary was waiting for me.
He was leaning against the wall,
looking like he stepped out of a magazine.
"How did it go?"
he asked,
taking my bag.
"I got the ring back,"
I said.
"And I gave it away."
He smiled,
a look of pure admiration in his eyes.
"That’s my doctor."
"Come on,"
he said,
leading me toward the elevator.
May you like
"Paisley is waiting."
"And I think it's time you met the rest of the family."
Related Stories
