Chapter 5 - The Reckoning
The trial was a whirlwind of evidence and exposure. Ethan’s defense team tried to paint me as the "unstable, vindictive wife," but the voice recording was played in open court on the second day.
The courtroom was deadly silent as the jury listened to his voice—the rage, the demand for the beer, the sound of the smoke alarm, and Lorraine’s cold, calculated instruction to lie.
When Lorraine was called to the stand, she crumbled. Under cross-examination, she admitted to aiding in the concealment of the funds and the intimidation of the employees. Her status as a "pillar of the community" vanished as her own financial records were dragged into the light, showing she had been living off the stolen money for years.
I watched from the witness stand, my bandaged hand resting on the railing. I didn't look at them with fear. I looked at them with the detached, analytical gaze of the forensic accountant I had always been.
“Did you ever fear for your life?” the prosecutor asked.
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“Every single day,” I replied, my voice steady. “But I knew the truth was the one thing he couldn't hide forever.”
Ethan wouldn't meet my eyes. He stared at the floor, his face drained of all the bravado that had once kept me in check. He was facing twenty years for the fraud alone, and the assault charges were being fast-tracked.
