Chapter 4 - THE CELL BLOCK HUMILIATION
The Cook County Department of Corrections was a grim gray monolith of concrete and steel, miles away from the gilded dining rooms of Barrington Hills.
At 9:00 AM on Monday morning, Gavin Vance sat at a metal table in the attorney-client visitation room.
His six-thousand-dollar suit was gone, replaced by a bright orange jumpsuit. His perfectly coiffed hair was messy, his eyes bloodshot, and his hands trembled as he clutched a paper cup of lukewarm water.
The heavy steel door buzzed and opened.
Gavin looked up, expecting his high-priced criminal defense lawyer, Arthur Pendelton.
Instead, I walked into the room.
I was accompanied by Victoria Sterling. I sat down on the steel chair across from him, resting my hands calmly on the cold metal table.
Gavin slammed his cup down, water sloshing over the table. “What are you doing here, Claire?! Where is Arthur?!”
“Arthur Pendelton dropped you as a client thirty minutes ago, Gavin,” Victoria said smoothly, setting a legal notice between us. “When the federal prosecutors added charges of intentional poisoning, chemical assault, and systematic medical fraud to your indictment, his firm deemed you an unmanageable liability.”
Gavin’s breath hitched. His eyes darted to me in pure terror. “Poisoning? What... what are you talking about? That’s absurd!”
“The white pills, Gavin,” I said softly, looking into his eyes. “The 'prenatal vitamins' you gave me every night for six years.”
Gavin’s jaw worked silently. The last shred of his smug, arrogant mask shattered into dust.
“We found the secret lab stash in the basement of the estate,” I continued, my voice steady and cold as ice. “The state toxicology team analyzed the compound. High-dose synthetic estrogen blockers combined with long-term fertility suppressants. You didn't just steal my embryos, Gavin. You chemically altered my body so I would remain your pathetic, grief-stricken victim while you stole my father’s money.”
Gavin leaned across the table, his knuckles white. “Claire, please! Listen to me! It wasn't my idea! It was Tessa! She came to me... she needed money! She said we could get the Sterling estate if we used your embryos—”
“Stop,” I said, holding up a single finger.
The sheer cowardice of the man made me sick. The moment the walls closed in, he didn't hesitate to throw his mistress—the woman he had bragged was his 'true soulmate' three days ago—directly under the bus.
“Tessa is currently in federal custody in the women’s wing down the hall,” Victoria informed him with an icy smile. “And fifteen minutes ago, she signed a full state confession implicating you as the sole mastermind behind the entire operation in exchange for a reduced sentence.”
Gavin let out a choked groan, burying his face in his hands. “No... no, God, no...”
“The bail hearing is at 2:00 PM today,” I said, standing up from the chair. “The prosecutor is requesting permanent detention without bail on the grounds that you are an extreme flight risk and a danger to society.”
Gavin looked up at me through red-rimmed, tear-filled eyes. He fell to his knees on the concrete floor of the visitor room, reaching out toward my coat.
“Claire... please!” he sobbed, his voice breaking into pathetic whimpers. “I made a mistake! I was desperate! I still love you! We can fix this! You can drop the civil charges... we can raise the twins together!”
I stepped back, watching him crawl on the cold floor like a dog begging for scraps.
“Raise my children with the man who poisoned me?” I asked softly. “I’d rather burn in hell, Gavin.”
“Claire! Please! Don't leave me here!” he screamed as Victoria and I walked toward the heavy steel exit door.
I stopped at the threshold and looked back over my shoulder.
May you like
“Ten years ago, Gavin,” I said, “you told me at our wedding that you would give me everything. Today, I’m returning the favor. I’m taking everything you have—your money, your company, your freedom, and your name.”
The heavy steel door slammed shut between us with a deafening, final boom, drowning out his pathetic, frantic screams.
