Voss cleared his throat. “Your Honor, we have not had time to review—”
“You had nine months,” I said. “You reviewed the fabricated version.”
Daniel stood. “This is harassment. She’s unstable. She’s been obsessed with punishing me since I moved on.”
“Moved on?” I echoed.
I turned just enough for Elise to hear me.
“Is that what you called it when you transferred two hundred thousand dollars from the children’s literacy foundation into Daniel’s Cayman account?”
Elise’s face went pale beneath her makeup.
Daniel pointed at me. “She forged those records.”
I almost smiled.
“That would be difficult,” I said, “since your own assistant delivered the originals to the court clerk at 8:42 this morning.”
His mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
There it was—the first crack.
Three weeks earlier, his assistant, Mara, had called me from a blocked number. Her voice trembled. She said Daniel had ordered her to backdate invoices and delete emails. She said Voss had told her, “No one believes wives after the settlement conference.” She said she had a daughter Noah’s age.
So I gave her a choice.
A lawyer. Protection. Immunity if she cooperated.
She chose wisely.
Judge Marlowe flipped another page. “Mr. Hale, did you disclose Argent Bay Holdings?”
Daniel sat down slowly.
Voss answered instead. “Your Honor, Argent Bay is unrelated to marital property.”
“Then why,” the judge read, “did Argent Bay receive clinic revenue, purchase the marital residence, and pay Ms. Carter’s apartment lease?”
Elise whispered, “Daniel.”
He snapped, “Shut up.”
