Chapter 12 - THE DEPOSITION
Two weeks later.
The Cook County Circuit Court Deposition Room was cold, brightly lit, and sterile.
Julian sat across the long conference table, flanked by a young, visibly overwhelmed public defender. He looked terrible—his expensive suit was unpressed, his eyes were sunken and bloodshot, and he had lost significant weight. Fiona sat in the gallery behind him, wearing a plain gray sweater, looking years older, her grand socialite persona completely shattered.
On our side of the table sat Darcy, Marcus, and myself, dressed in a sharp, tailored ivory suit that I had purchased with my own hard-earned money.
"We are here today for the preliminary deposition regarding the dissolution of marriage and asset distribution in Miller v. Miller," the court reporter announced, adjusting her microphone.
Julian’s public defender cleared his throat nervously, looking at the mountain of evidence binders stacked on Darcy’s side of the table.
"My client..." the public defender began softly, "is willing to sign a full waiver of all claims to the marital residence, as well as waive any right to spousal support, provided Mrs. Miller agrees to drop the civil fraud charges and request leniency from the District Attorney regarding the tax filings."
Darcy laughed—a short, sharp sound that made the public defender flinch.
"Mr. Miller seems to misunderstand his position," Darcy said, sliding a single sheet of paper across the table. "We are not negotiating. The grand jury returned an indictment this morning on four counts of felony wire fraud, two counts of identity theft, and one count of felony domestic restraint."
Fiona let out a choked gasp in the back row, covering her mouth with her trembling hands.
Julian stared at the document, his lips trembling. "Sloan... please. We were married for five years. You loved me once."
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I leaned forward across the table, looking him straight in the eyes without a single trace of emotion.
"I loved an illusion, Julian," I said, my voice steady and iron-clad. "And for five years, you mistook my endurance for weakness. But the illusion is over."
