Chapter 7 - Face to Face
Two weeks later, the preliminary hearing for the domestic assault and financial fraud charges was held at the King County Superior Court.
The courtroom was packed with journalists, industry executives, and legal observers. When Grant was escorted into the room wearing a dark jumpsuit, his hair unkempt and wrists cuffed, a quiet murmur swept through the gallery.
Sitting on the front bench on the prosecution side was Claire. She wore an elegant white silk blouse and tailored grey trousers. Resting gracefully against her collarbone were her mother’s pearl earrings—recovered by police and legally restored to her.
Grant sat down at the defense table, his hands trembling as he stared across the aisle at her. During the recess, Grant’s attorney requested a brief three-minute conference between the parties in the attorney consultation room.
When the heavy wooden door closed, leaving Claire, Thomas, Grant, and his lawyer inside, Grant broke down.
"Claire... please," Grant wept, leaning across the stainless-steel table, his swagger completely shattered. "I made a mistake. A terrible, stupid mistake. I was stressed, I was out of my mind... I love you, Claire. Eleven years! You can't destroy me like this!"
Claire looked at him quietly. She didn't see the terrifying titan who had thrown her into the rain two weeks ago. She saw a small, pitiful coward who had built a life on lies.
"You didn't make a mistake, Grant," Claire said, her voice smooth and devoid of anger. "A mistake is forgetting an anniversary. You hit me six times. You brought another woman into my mother's memory. You tried to steal everything my parents left me."
"I’ll give it all back!" Grant sobbed. "I’ll sign whatever you want! Just drop the criminal charges! Don't send me to prison!"
Claire stood up slowly, adjusting her jacket. She reached down and gently touched one of the pearls at her ear.
May you like
"Everything in that house was mine, Grant," Claire quoted softly, throwing his own words back at him with icy precision. "You just finally made me realize it."
She turned her back on him and walked out of the room, leaving Grant sobbing uncontrollably into his hands.
