Chapter 14 - The Trial Begins.
The federal courthouse was packed on the first morning of trial.
Reporters filled every bench they were allowed to occupy.
David entered wearing a dark navy suit.
For one terrible second, he looked like the man I had married.
Confident.
Elegant.
Controlled.
Then he looked at me.
His confidence cracked.
The prosecution began with numbers.
Three hundred eighty-seven million dollars in fraudulent transactions.
Sixty-two shell entities.
Nine hospital systems compromised.
Millions of patient records.
And one child whose identity had been used before she could walk.
Lily.
Rebecca Sloan placed her birth certificate on the screen.
Then the LV7 ownership document.
Same Social Security number.
Same birthday.
Same name.
A corporate owner aged three months.
Jurors looked disturbed.
David’s attorneys argued Thomas Mercer created the scheme.
They claimed David signed documents without understanding their purpose.
I nearly laughed.
That was the excuse David had used on me for years.
Now he wanted to become the trusting spouse.
Thomas testified for three days.
He admitted everything.
Bribes.
Fraud.
Data theft.
Offshore transfers.
He did not pretend to be innocent.
That made him more believable.
“I committed crimes.”
Thomas looked directly at the jury.
“And David Vance committed them with me.”
Then Julianne testified.
David couldn’t look at her.
She described the Bahamas trip.
The ignored calls.
The satellite phone.
The encrypted drive.
Then Rebecca asked:
“Did Mr. Vance ever tell you Lily was in the ICU?”
Julianne hesitated.
“He told me Maya was exaggerating.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Julianne looked at David.
“Yes.”
A murmur moved through the courtroom.
“When?”
“The second night.”
“What exactly did he say?”
Julianne took a breath.
“He said, ‘Apparently Lily is in intensive care, but Maya turns everything into a crisis.’”
My stomach twisted.
Rebecca continued.
“What did you say?”
“I asked whether we should go home.”
“And his response?”
Julianne began crying.
“He said no.”
David’s attorney objected.
Overruled.
Julianne continued.
“He said, ‘If it’s serious, there’s nothing I can do anyway.’”
The same idea.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Nothing I can do.
As though fatherhood only mattered when it was convenient.
Then Rebecca displayed yacht receipts.
At the exact hour David learned Lily was critically ill, he approved upgrades worth seventy-three thousand dollars.
Private chef.
Additional fuel.
Premium champagne.
Three extra days.
A juror shook her head.
David’s attorney saw it.
His strategy changed the next morning.
He attacked me.
He showed my texts.
Angry messages.
Accusations.
Threats to leave the marriage.
One read:
IF YOU GET ON THAT YACHT WITH HER, DON’T EXPECT ME TO BE HERE WHEN YOU COME BACK.
The attorney faced me.
“Mrs. Vance, you were already planning revenge, correct?”
“No.”
“You threatened your husband.”
“I stated a consequence.”
“You were furious.”
“Yes.”
“You hated Julianne.”
“Yes.”
“You hated your husband.”
I paused.
“No.”
The courtroom went silent.
“At that time, I still loved him.”
That answer seemed to unsettle David more than anything else.
His attorney sat down.
Rebecca stood for redirect.
“One question, Mrs. Vance.”
“Yes.”
“How many of those angry messages asked Mr. Vance to come home for you?”
I looked at the jury.
“None.”
“Who were they about?”
“My daughter.”
May you like
And suddenly David’s entire defense looked very small.
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