Chapter 6: The Woman Who Changed Sides
Chloe was brought into the hearing room twenty minutes later.
She glanced at Julian before taking the witness chair.
“I only carried papers,” she said.
“Julian handled everything else.”
Elena’s voice came through the screen.
“You told me my bedroom would become yours.”
“That was cruel.”
“You kicked the basket while I was on the ground.”
Chloe lowered her eyes.
“I did.”
Julian leaned toward his attorney.
“She is lying because the Morettis paid her.”
Chloe’s head snapped up.
“You said Elena would sign willingly.”
“You knew the plan.”
“You told me it was a harmless property amendment.”
Judge Ward raised a hand.
“Did you sign Mrs.
Vance’s name?”
“No.
Julian brought me a page that already had Elena’s signature.
He asked me to tell the notary I watched her sign.”
Julian stood.
“That is not what happened.”
Mara placed Elena’s hospital consent form beside the amendment.
A torn edge ran along the bottom of the first page.
“The signature page was removed from this medical form,” Mara said.
“The paper fibers match.”
Judge Ward looked at Julian.
“Sit down.”
Julian remained standing.
“My wife agreed to combine our assets.
Chloe misunderstood a routine request.”
Chloe laughed once, but there was no warmth in it.
“You promised me the villa.”
“I promised nothing.”
“You promised to marry me after Elena was declared unfit.”
Elena flinched, and the monitor beside her bed began sounding faster.
Beth moved into view and steadied her shoulders.
“Breathe with me,” Beth said.
“Slowly.”
Judge Ward suspended the hearing for medical reasons, froze the disputed accounts, and ordered Julian to surrender the estate documents.
As the screen went dark, Elena bent forward with both hands around her stomach.
“I believed him when he said no one else would want me,” she whispered.
Gabriel knelt beside the bed.
“He needed you to believe that.”
“You don’t understand.
I pushed you away before Julian ever asked me to.”
“Then tell me why.”
Elena looked directly at him.
“When Mama was ill, men came to our door at night.
You sent guards to my school.
I loved you, but I was afraid your world would swallow my life.”
Gabriel’s eyes filled.
“That is why I left it.”
“You never told me.”
“I thought becoming quiet would prove it.”
“It only made you disappear.”
Gabriel took her hand when she offered it.
“I cannot return the years.
I can stay for the ones ahead.”
A soft knock came at the door.
Chloe entered without her silk dress or jewelry, carrying Elena’s half-burned cedar box.
“Security searched me,” she said.
“They know I have nothing dangerous.”
Elena stiffened.
“Why are you here?”
“To give you this.”
Chloe placed a small memory card in Elena’s palm.
“Julian made me remove it from the nursery camera.
It recorded him talking to Dr.
Pike.”
“What did they say?”
“That the pills would make you look unstable.
Julian planned to use Pike’s reports to take control of the trust after the baby came.”
Gabriel reached for the call button.
“Mara needs this.”
Chloe caught Elena’s water glass as a contraction made her hand jerk.
She held the straw until Elena could drink.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me,” Chloe said.
“I came because Julian bought a ticket out of the country for tonight.”
“Why help me now?”
May you like
“Because there were two tickets yesterday.” Chloe set Julian’s second phone on the blanket.
“Today there is only one—and he took your passport.”
