Chapter 4 - The Courtroom Trap
The courthouse was a grand, echoing building of marble and oak. I walked through the double doors wearing a tailored navy-blue suit. My hair was pulled back elegantly, and my scars were visible just above the collar of my blouse. I wanted the judge to see them. I wanted Julian to see that he hadn't broken me.
When I entered the courtroom, Julian was already there, sitting beside a high-priced, slick-haired attorney. Eleanor sat in the gallery right behind them, wearing designer sunglasses indoors, looking like the queen of a kingdom that was about to burn.
When Julian saw me, his smug smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but he quickly recovered, leaning over to whisper something to his lawyer. Eleanor just sneered.
The hearing was supposedly about temporary asset allocation during the divorce proceedings. Julian’s lawyer stood up first, painting a tragic, fictional masterpiece.
"Your Honor," his lawyer began, "my client has endured immense emotional distress. His wife, the respondent, has a history of severe paranoia. In a tragic, self-inflicted accident, she suffered burns and subsequently abandoned her husband, locking down assets that are vital to their joint survival. We are simply asking the court to grant Mr. Hayes temporary receivership of her commercial properties so he can save their livelihood."
The judge, a stern woman named Honorable Davis, looked at me over her glasses. "Mrs. Hayes? Your counsel may respond."
Arthur Vance stood up, adjusting his suit jacket. "Your Honor, the respondent not only contests this motion, but we are also submitting a motion for a permanent restraining order, immediate sole possession of all trusts, and we are introducing evidence that will fundamentally alter the jurisdiction of this court."
Julian rolled his eyes, putting on a show of exhausted patience.
"Mr. Vance," Judge Davis frowned. "This is family court. Let’s keep to the assets."
"The assets are exactly what we are discussing, Your Honor," Vance said, walking toward the bench with a flash drive and a stack of transcripts. "Mr. Hayes claims my client is paranoid and self-harmed. We have an audio recording from the night of the incident, which has already been authenticated by the police department."
Julian’s posture snapped straight. Eleanor’s sunglasses slipped slightly down her nose.
"Play it," the judge ordered.
Vance plugged the drive into the court’s system.
The courtroom fell dead silent. And then, Eleanor’s voice echoed through the speakers.
“After everything we did to make those inspectors approve his buildings, you still won’t save us?”
Then came the horrifying sound of sizzling oil, my agonized screams, and Julian’s cold, merciless voice. “I’m divorcing you. I refuse to live with this ugly monster anymore.”
When the recording stopped, the silence in the courtroom was suffocating. The court reporter’s hands were frozen over her keyboard. The judge’s face had drained of color, her eyes locked onto Julian with absolute disgust.
Julian was pale, his mouth opening and closing like a suffocating fish. "That... that's a fake. An AI fabrication!" he stammered, looking at his lawyer, who was staring at him in horror.
"Your Honor," Vance continued smoothly, ignoring Julian's panic. "We have also submitted the police report, the hospital forensic analysis of the burn trajectory, and sworn affidavits. But more importantly for this court, we have filed Exhibit C: the financial records proving Mr. Hayes has embezzled three million dollars from his own investors to fund a mistress, and Exhibit D: records of systemic bribery of a city inspector, rendering all of his properties worthless."
Eleanor leaped to her feet in the gallery. "You ungrateful little wretch! We gave you a family! We gave you a name!"
"Bailiff," Judge Davis snapped, slamming her gavel. "Remove that woman from my courtroom."
As two officers grabbed Eleanor by the arms, she thrashed wildly, screaming obscenities at me. Julian sat frozen at the plaintiff's table, watching his mother being dragged away.
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The judge turned her furious gaze back to Julian. "Mr. Hayes, not only is your motion denied, but I am freezing every single account with your name on it. Furthermore, I am contacting the District Attorney's office immediately."
I looked at Julian across the aisle. Our eyes met. The arrogant, untouchable man who had watched me burn was gone. In his place was a terrified little boy whose paper empire had just caught fire.
