Chapter 8
I stared at Eleanor Finch.
Bennett's mother.
The woman who'd been so quiet and distant during our marriage.
The woman I'd barely known.
She was holding a folder.
And she looked like she was about to destroy me.
The recess ended.
We went back into the courtroom.
Bennett's lawyer stood up.
"Your Honor, the defense calls Eleanor Finch to the stand."
Eleanor walked to the witness stand.
She was elegant.
Composed.
Cold.
She looked like the perfect society matron.
She took the oath.
And then Bennett's lawyer began his questions.
"Mrs. Finch, you are the defendant's mother, correct?"
"Yes."
"And you knew Tessa Halloway well during her marriage to your son, correct?"
"Very well."
"And in your opinion, what kind of wife was she?"
Eleanor looked at me.
Her eyes were cold.
"She was a terrible wife," she said clearly. "She was cold. Distant. Unloving. She refused to fulfill her wifely duties. She was constantly complaining. Constantly demanding. She made my son's life miserable."
The courtroom erupted in whispers.
I stared at her, shocked.
This was all lies.
"Mrs. Finch," the lawyer continued. "Did your son ever tell you he was unhappy in his marriage?"
"All the time. He told me Tessa was impossible to please. That she didn't love him. That she only married him for his money."
"Objection!" my lawyer shouted. "Hearsay!"
"Your Honor," Bennett's lawyer said. "This goes to the state of mind of the defendant. It explains why he sought comfort elsewhere."
The judge nodded.
"Overruled. The witness may continue."
Eleanor continued.
"My son was heartbroken. He loved Tessa. He tried everything to make her happy. But nothing was ever good enough for her. And then she started seeing other men."
The courtroom went silent.
"What?" I whispered.
"Objection!" my lawyer shouted again. "This is completely unsubstantiated! There's no evidence—"
"I have evidence," Eleanor said, cutting her off.
She pulled out the folder she'd been holding.
She handed it to the lawyer.
"These are photos, Your Honor. Photos of Tessa with another man. Taken while she was still married to my son."
The photos were projected onto the screen.
I felt my blood run cold.
They were photos of me.
With Uncle Robert.
Photos of us hugging.
Photos of us having dinner.
Photos of him holding Hope.
"These photos were taken in the last few months," Eleanor said. "Tessa and her uncle, Robert Chen, have been having an affair. That's why she wanted a divorce. That's why she made up all these lies about my son. She wanted to be free to be with her uncle. And she wanted to take my son's money to support their affair."
The courtroom erupted.
Reporters were shouting.
The jury looked shocked.
Disgusted.
I stared at the photos.
They'd been twisted.
Taken out of context.
Made to look like something they weren't.
Uncle Robert and I had never had an affair.
He was my uncle.
My mother's brother.
He was family.
But the photos looked damning.
Taken from angles that made our hugs look romantic.
Our dinners look like dates.
Him holding Hope look like a father holding his child.
It was all lies.
But it looked real.
And the jury was buying it.
My lawyer was furious.
"Your Honor! These photos are taken completely out of context! Robert Chen is the witness's uncle! Her mother's own brother! This is absurd!"
Bennett's lawyer stood up.
"Your Honor, the defense has DNA evidence that proves Robert Chen is not Tessa's biological uncle. We believe he was a close family friend who was raised as family. And their relationship has been inappropriate for years."
I froze.
Not my biological uncle?
What were they talking about?
Uncle Robert was my mother's brother.
He was family.
Wasn't he?
The judge looked at the evidence.
He looked at the photos.
He looked at the jury.
And I could see it in his eyes.
He believed it.
Or at least, he thought there was reasonable doubt.
"The court will recess for the day," the judge said. "We will resume tomorrow morning."
He banged his gavel.
I sat there, stunned.
How had this happened?
How had Bennett and his mother turned everything around?
How had they made me the villain?
Uncle Robert came to me, his face white with anger.
"This is ridiculous. I'm your mother's brother. Your biological uncle. I have the birth certificates to prove it. The family records. Everything."
But I was thinking about something else.
Something my mother had said.
Something about being adopted.
She'd mentioned it once, when I was a teenager.
She'd said I was too young to understand.
And then she'd never mentioned it again.
"Uncle Robert," I said quietly. "Is it true? Are you really my biological uncle?"
He stared at me, shocked.
"Of course I am, Tessa. Your mother is my sister. I was there when you were born. I held you when you were three days old. Why would you even ask that?"
But I wasn't so sure anymore.
My mother had lied about so much.
She'd sold me to Bennett.
She'd testified against me.
What else had she lied about?
That night, I went to see my mother.
I needed answers.
She was staying at a small hotel.
She was surprised to see me.
"Tessa! What are you doing here? I'm so sorry about everything. I want to explain—"
"Cut the crap," I said, my voice cold. "I need to know the truth. About Uncle Robert. Is he really my biological uncle?"
She froze.
Her face went white.
"What?"
"Bennett's mother says he's not. That he was just a family friend. That we're not related by blood. Is it true?"
She looked away.
"Tessa, you don't understand—"
"Is it true?" I shouted.
She started crying.
"Yes," she whispered. "It's true."
I felt like the ground had opened up beneath me.
"What?"
"Robert... he's not my biological brother. He was adopted. When we were babies. His parents died in a car accident. My parents adopted him. We were raised as brother and sister. But we're not related by blood."
She looked at me, tears in her eyes.
"But he's still your uncle, Tessa. In every way that matters. He loves you. He's always loved you."
I stared at her.
This changed everything.
The photos.
The accusations.
The jury would believe that Uncle Robert and I could have had an affair.
Because we weren't related by blood.
It was all lies.
But it was believable lies.
And Bennett's mother had known.
She'd known the truth about Uncle Robert.
And she'd used it against me.
"How did she know?" I whispered. "How did Eleanor find out about Robert being adopted?"
My mother looked down.
"I told her," she said, her voice barely audible.
I stared at her, horrified.
"You told her? You told Bennett's mother the one thing that could destroy me?"
"I was angry!" she cried. "I was angry at Robert! He was always so perfect. So successful. And he took your side against me! I wanted to hurt him! I wanted to hurt you both! I didn't think she'd use it like this!"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
My mother had given Eleanor the weapon to destroy me.
Out of anger.
Out of spite.
"You're pathetic," I said quietly.
I turned and walked out.
I didn't look back.
I got in my car and drove.
I didn't know where I was going.
I just needed to get away.
Everything was falling apart.
Bennett was winning.
He was painting me as an adulteress.
As a liar.
As a gold digger.
And the jury was buying it.
If this continued, Bennett would walk free.
He'd get custody of Hope.
He'd get everything.
And I'd lose my daughter.
I couldn't let that happen.
I needed help.
I needed someone who could fight back.
Someone who knew the Finches.
Someone who knew their secrets.
I pulled out my phone.
I found the number I was looking for.
I hesitated.
Then I dialed.
It rang three times.
"Hello?" a voice said.
"Margot," I said. "I need your help."
There was a long pause.
Then Margot laughed.
A cold, bitter sound.
"You need my help? That's rich. What could you possibly need from me?"
"I need you to testify against Bennett," I said. "And against his mother. I know you have information. I know you know all their secrets. And I know you hate Eleanor Finch as much as I do."
Margot was silent for a moment.
"What's in it for me?"
"I'll put in a good word with the prosecution. I'll tell them you cooperated. That you helped bring down the Finches. You'll get a lighter sentence. Maybe even parole in a few years."
She laughed again.
"And why would I want to help you? You destroyed my life."
"Because Bennett destroyed your life too," I said. "And his mother never liked you. She thought you were trash. Good enough for her son to sleep with, but never good enough to marry. She was the one who told Bennett to marry me instead of you. Wasn't she?"
Margot was silent.
I knew I'd hit a nerve.
"She never respected you, Margot. She used you. Just like she used Bennett. Just like they used everyone. Help me take them down. And you'll get your revenge."
Another long pause.
Then Margot spoke.
Her voice was cold.
Dangerous.
"I'll do it. But not for you. For me. And for my baby. And when we're done, Eleanor Finch is going to wish she'd never been born."
She hung up.
I sat there, my heart racing.
I'd just made a deal with the devil.
But I didn't care.
I was going to win.
No matter what it took.
And then my phone buzzed.
It was a text from an unknown number.
I opened it.
It was a photo.
A photo of Hope.
Sleeping in her crib.
At my penthouse.
May you like
And the text said:
"Nice deal you made with Margot. But we have our own deal. And it involves your daughter."
