Chapter 5 - The Deposition of Lies
Two months later, the downtown Phoenix sky was overcast, a rare gray morning that matched the cold stone facade of the Maricopa County Superior Courthouse.
Inside a high-rise conference room overlooking the city, the formal deposition for Mitchell v. Sloan was underway.
I sat at the long glass table beside Marcus Vance. Across from us sat Derek and his defense attorney, a sleek, overpriced lawyer named Richard Vance (no relation to Marcus, and clearly outmatched). Marjorie was absent, stuck in a separate holding facility following a failed attempt to liquidate her offshore savings account—an act that had promptly landed her back behind bars for violation of asset-freeze orders.
Derek looked hollow. He had lost at least fifteen pounds. His crisp designer suit hung loosely off his shoulders, and his hands trembled slightly as he sat with his elbows resting on the table.
"We are on the record," the court reporter announced, her fingers hovering over her machine. "Deposition of Derek Sloan, in the matter of marriage dissolution and civil asset recovery."
Marcus leaned forward, opening his laptop. He didn't waste time with small talk.
"Mr. Sloan," Marcus began, his voice dropping into a rhythmic, hypnotic cadence. "On August 12, 2026, eleven days after your wife underwent a bilateral mastectomy, you submitted an application to Great Western Mutual to increase her life insurance policy to $1.5 million. Did you fill out that form?"
Derek looked at his lawyer. Richard Vance shook his head slightly.
"On the advice of counsel, I assert my Fifth Amendment privilege," Derek mumbled, staring at the glass table.
"Very well," Marcus said smoothly. "On August 14, 2026, you ordered your wife, who was carrying two surgical drainage tubes and recovering from major surgery, to go outside into 109-degree heat to scrub a concrete pool deck. Did you do that out of concern for her health?"
"Fifth Amendment," Derek repeated, his jaw clenching.
"Mr. Sloan," Marcus continued, tapping a key on his laptop. An audio speaker in the center of the table suddenly hummed to life.
...If you’re going to keep acting helpless, I’ll take control of the money myself... You signed medical power-of-attorney paperwork before surgery... Mom helped me organize it...
Derek’s eyes went wide as his own recorded voice echoed through the cold room.
"Is that your voice, Mr. Sloan?" Marcus asked.
"Fifth Amendment," Derek whispered, a bead of sweat forming at his hairline.
"Let's move to Vanguard Consulting Group," Marcus said, opening a thick binder. "Between January 2024 and July 2026, you transferred $140,000 from Avery’s personal inheritance account into Vanguard. You then used those funds to lease an apartment at the Optima Sonoran Village in Scottsdale, and to pay for four luxury vacations with a woman named Julianna Hayes. Is Julianna Hayes present in this courtroom today?"
Derek snapped. He slammed his fists onto the glass table, standing up so fast his chair rolled back into the wall.
"This is ridiculous!" Derek roared, pointing a finger at me. "She knew about Vanguard! She approved those transfers! She was sick, she was confused, she forgot!"
"Mr. Sloan, sit down!" his attorney ordered, grabbing his sleeve.
"No! I won't sit down!" Derek yelled, his face flushing dark red. "She’s ruining me! I took care of her! I gave up my life to play nurse for a woman who did nothing but complain! She got $18,000 from her little friends online while I was drowning in debt! I deserved that money! I earned it!"
I didn't flinch. I sat perfectly still, looking up at the man I had spent six years trying to please, six years walking on eggshells for, six years believing I was never enough.
Looking at him now, screaming and throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child caught stealing from a jar, the last lingering shadow of fear vanished from my heart.
"Are you finished, Derek?" I asked softly.
My voice was quiet, but it stopped him dead in his tracks.
"You didn't take care of me," I said, leaning forward, my eyes fixed on his. "You used me. You used my illness to steal from me. You used my isolation to control me. And when you realized you couldn't control me anymore, you tried to destroy me."
"Avery—"
"You took everything you thought was mine," I continued, standing up slowly and resting my hands on the table. "My health, my trust, my peace. But you forgot one thing."
Derek stared at me, trembling.
May you like
"You forgot that I’m not weak," I said. "And now, I am going to take back every single thing you stole. Starting with your freedom."
Marcus Vance smiled, closing his binder with a soft, final thud. "We have no further questions for this witness. We will see you at the sentencing hearing, Mr. Sloan."
