Chapter 7 - The Depositions
On Monday morning, the final closing of Cedar Ridge Lane was completed. Apex Capital wired the remaining balance of $12.5 million into my sole private account. The estate was officially sold, the chapter closed, and the funds safely insulated within my corporate wealth management structure.
At 2:00 PM, I walked into the grand conference room on the twentieth floor of the Boulder County Courthouse for the court-ordered deposition regarding our emergency divorce and financial fraud proceedings.
I was accompanied by Rachel, Thomas Thorne, and two representatives from the District Attorney's office. I wore a tailored cream blazer, my hair pulled back, looking poised, rested, and completely in control. Nora had accompanied me to the courthouse, staying in the private family lounge downstairs with baby Ava.
Five minutes later, Grant entered the room with his public defender—a young, overworked attorney assigned to him after every private law firm in Boulder refused to represent him without a substantial retainer deposit.
Grant looked broken. His eyes were sunken, his suit was unpressed, and his hands trembled as he sat down across the long oak table from me.
"Lena..." Grant whispered, his voice desperate as he looked at me. "Please... can we speak privately? Just five minutes. For Ava's sake."
"Mr. Vance," Rachel interrupted sharply, raising her hand. "You will address my client only through counsel. Any direct communication will be cited as a violation of the protection order."
The court reporter began recording.
"Let the record show," Prosecutor Sarah Vance declared, "that we are conducting a preliminary deposition regarding charges of Grand Larceny, Bank Fraud, and Civil Conspiracy against defendant Grant Vance."
Prosecutor Vance placed a thick stack of documents on the table.
"Mr. Vance," the prosecutor began, "do you recognize this bank account ending in 4092, registered under the name Vance Family Holdings LLC in Nevada?"
Grant swallowed hard, looking at his public defender, who merely shook his head with a sigh of defeat. "Yes," Grant mumbled.
"Did you transfer $840,000 from your wife's personal operating account into this shell entity over a six-month period without her knowledge or written consent?"
"It... it was for family investments," Grant lied weakly. "We were married. I had implied authorization to manage our marital wealth—"
"There was no implied authorization," Rachel cut in smoothly, sliding our signed prenuptial agreement across the table. "Section 4, Paragraph B explicitly states that all income, dividends, real estate assets, and liquid funds generated by Lena Vance remain her separate personal property unless explicitly converted via a signed written instrument. Did you have a signed written instrument, Mr. Vance?"
Grant stared at the document, unable to speak.
"Furthermore," Prosecutor Vance continued, "the State has reviewed the home security footage from Cedar Ridge Lane recorded on December 28th. The footage clearly shows you accessing the master security control panel, changing the primary access code, and deleting Mrs. Vance's biometric profile while she was at the clinic retrieving prescription formula for your three-day-old child."
Grant dropped his head into his hands, his shoulders shaking. "I just wanted her to respect me..." he sobbed into his palms. "She had everything... the company, the house, the money... everyone looked at me like I was just her assistant! I wanted to show her that I was the head of the family!"
I leaned forward across the table, looking at the man I had once believed would be a loving partner and father.
"Respect is earned through protection, Grant," I said, my voice quiet, steady, and devastatingly clear. "You didn't act like the head of a family. You acted like a thief. You locked a recovering mother and your own newborn child out in the rain so you could play the big man in Miami with stolen money."
May you like
Grant looked up, his face pale, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Lena... I'm sorry. Please... don't take Ava away from me."
"You took yourself away from her the moment you prioritized your ego over her survival," I replied coldly. "Rachel, present the final settlement terms."
