Chapter 5 - The Deposition of Deceit
Edward turned around, the condescending smile still lingering on his face—until his eyes landed on me.
The color drained from his face so fast it was as if he had been struck by lightning. His jaw dropped open. Sylvia froze, her hand halting mid-air as she reached for her designer purse.
"Lauren...?" Edward stammered, scrambling out of his chair. "What... what are you doing here? Your flight—"
"My flight was never canceled by weather, Edward," I said, stepping into the office with Eleanor and Detective Vance behind me. "I canceled it myself. The moment my seven-year-old son came into my bedroom crying, telling me that his father was planning to steal our lives with his mistress."
Sylvia’s eyes darted frantically around the room. She stood up abruptly. "Edward, what is this? Who are these people?"
"Sit down, Ms. Armenta," Detective Vance commanded, unbuttoning his jacket to reveal his badge and service weapon. "Police officers. Nobody leaves this room."
"Police?!" Sylvia shrieked. "This is a private financial meeting! Edward, do something!"
Edward’s mind was clearly spinning, trying to find a way out of the quicksand pulling him under. He tried to puff out his chest, pointing an accusing finger at me.
"Detective, thank God you're here!" Edward shouted, putting on a grand theatrical performance. "My wife is mentally unstable! She underwent major surgery weeks ago and has fallen into severe paranoia! I have a certified psychiatric evaluation right here from Dr. Marcella Pineda declaring her unfit!"
Eleanor stepped forward, pulling a stack of certified legal documents from her briefcase and slapping them onto the desk right next to Edward’s paperwork.
"You mean this Dr. Marcella Pineda, Edward?" Eleanor asked, her voice dropping like an axe. "The one who signed a full sworn confession two hours ago admitting that you offered her $250,000 to falsify a psychiatric report?"
Edward’s eyes bulged. "What?! That's... that's a lie! She's lying!"
"We also have the complete digital forensics from Dr. Pineda's server," Eleanor continued relentlessly. "Including the email thread between you and Sylvia Armenta titled 'Operation Cleanup', where you explicitly discussed framing Lauren, liquidating her family inheritance, and forcing an emergency ex-parte custody order for Danny so Lauren couldn't fight back."
Sylvia gasped, backing away toward the corner of the office. "Edward! You told me those emails were encrypted! You said she would never find out!"
"Shut up, Sylvia!" Edward roared, his refined polish completely disintegrating.
"Mr. Vance," Detective Vance stepped forward, pulling pair of steel handcuffs from his belt. "Edward Vance, you are under arrest for grand larceny, criminal conspiracy, falsification of legal documents, bank fraud, and attempted fraud against a minor."
"You can't arrest me!" Edward screamed, backing into the desk, scattering papers everywhere. "I'm her husband! That document has her real signature!"
"A signature obtained through fraud under heavy medication is legally void ab initio," Eleanor declared coldly. "And right now, your status as her husband is officially over."
Detective Vance grabbed Edward’s arms, twisting them behind his back. The metal handcuffs clicked loudly into place.
"Sylvia Armenta," Detective Vance added, signaling to the female undercover officer standing by the door. "You are also under arrest as an active co-conspirator in federal bank fraud and grand theft."
"Touch me and I'll sue!" Sylvia screamed as the officer forced her arms behind her back, locking the cuffs tight around her wrists. "Edward, you promised me this was foolproof! You ruined my life!"
"Shut up! Just shut up!" Edward yelled, his face red with sweat and rage as he was dragged toward the lobby.
As they led him past me in handcuffs, Edward stopped. He looked at me, his eyes filled with a desperate, pathetic mixture of fear and rage.
"Lauren... please," he whimpered, trying to drop his voice into the soft tone he used to manipulate me. "Think about Danny! We can fix this! Don't destroy our family!"
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I looked at the man I had loved for eight years—the man who would have left me destitute, institutionalized, and stripped of my child without a second thought.
"You destroyed our family the moment you made my son cry, Edward," I said, my voice cold as winter ice. "Take him away."
