Chapter 6 - The Bail Hearing
The Denver County Courthouse was cold and sterile on Wednesday morning. I sat in the front row of the gallery, wearing a professional navy blazer that neatly concealed the bulk of my medical sling.
Ethan stood before the judge in an orange jumpsuit, his hands cuffed to a chain around his waist. He looked smaller now, stripped of the luxury lifestyle he had stolen from me.
His lawyer, a slick, high-priced defense attorney named Richard Sterling, stepped to the podium. "Your Honor, my client has no prior criminal record. He is a respected member of the business community. The alleged incident was a domestic dispute that got out of hand, and his wife is currently using her financial influence to deny him access to bail funds."
The prosecutor stood up immediately, holding a flash drive. "Your Honor, the state presents Exhibit A: an audio recording captured by the victim just forty-eight hours after the assault. In this recording, the defendant and his family can be heard openly celebrating the assault, stating that the victim 'learned her lesson' and 'needed to know her place.'"
The prosecutor pressed play.
Victoria's voice filled the courtroom: “My son taught her a lesson.” Then Natalie's laugh: “She thought she was in charge.” And finally, Ethan’s own calm, arrogant voice: “Maybe now, you’ll stop interfering in family decisions.”
The judge’s expression went from neutral to absolute disgust. She looked down at Ethan over her glasses.
May you like
"Respected member of the community?" the judge said, her voice dripping with ice. "Mr. Vance, you and your family sound like a syndicate of common thugs. Bail is denied. You will remain in custody until the trial date."
Ethan let out a broken sob, turning his head to look at me in the gallery. I stood up, met his panicked gaze with a calm, unyielding expression, and walked out of the courtroom without looking back.
