Chapter 7 - The Trial
The legal proceedings dragged on for eight months. The media had a field day with the story—the scandalous affair, the fake pregnancy reveal, the multi-million dollar fraud. It was a soap opera playing out in a federal courtroom.
I was called as a witness for the prosecution.
When I took the stand, the courtroom was packed. I looked at the defense table. Mark had lost at least twenty pounds. His hair was thinning. He looked pathetic. Chloe sat two rows behind him, heavily pregnant, looking utterly defeated. The paternity test had confirmed the baby was Evan's, not Mark's.
"Mrs. Davis," the prosecutor asked. "Can you verify these bank statements?"
"Yes," I answered clearly, looking directly into Mark's eyes. "My husband transferred those funds from his business account into a shell account under my sister's name to hide them from the IRS."
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Mark dropped his head into his hands.
The defense didn't even bother to cross-examine me. The paper trail Victor and I had built was bulletproof. As a former detective, I knew how to preserve a chain of evidence. I had handed the federal prosecutors a fully solved case wrapped in a bow.
