Chapter 15 - Anna Takes the Stand
Months passed.
Grace came home.
She remained small but healthy.
Anna moved into a modest townhouse near her father.
Not a mansion.
Not a guarded estate.
A quiet townhouse with a blue front door and a tiny nursery upstairs.
She chose every piece of furniture herself.
The dining table had six chairs.
Anna kept one empty.
Not because someone was missing.
Because an empty chair reminded her that there would always be room for another person.
When the criminal proceedings reached the point where Anna needed to testify, she was ready.
The courtroom was packed.
Reporters filled the back rows.
David sat beside his attorney.
Sylvia sat separately.
Anna walked toward the witness stand wearing a navy dress.
No dramatic jewelry.
No political symbolism.
No father beside her.
Jonathan remained out of the courtroom during portions of her testimony to avoid turning the proceeding into a spectacle.
Anna raised her hand and swore to tell the truth.
The prosecutor began with Christmas Eve.
Anna described the kitchen.
The heat.
The swollen feet.
The contractions.
Sylvia’s words.
The shove.
The granite counter.
The blood.
The broken phone.
David’s smile.
She did not exaggerate.
She did not need to.
Then came cross-examination.
Sylvia’s attorney suggested Anna had resented her mother-in-law.
Anna agreed.
David’s attorney suggested Anna had hidden important information from her husband.
Anna agreed.
“You never told Mr. Mercer who your father was?”
“No.”
“That is a significant omission in a marriage, isn’t it?”
Anna looked toward David.
“Not as significant as refusing medical care to your pregnant wife.”
The courtroom became silent.
The judge instructed her to answer only the question asked.
Anna nodded.
“Yes.”
The attorney continued.
“Why hide your father’s identity?”
“I wanted people to know me before they knew my last name.”
“Including your husband?”
“Especially my husband.”
“Would you agree that was deceptive?”
Anna considered the question.
“I would agree it was private.”
The attorney stepped closer.
“You wanted to test him.”
“No.”
“What did you want?”
Anna looked at the jury.
“I wanted to know whether someone could love me when they believed I had nothing powerful to offer.”
May you like
She looked back at David.
“And eventually I got my answer.”
