Chapter 6 - The Deposition
Three weeks later.
The conference room on the top floor of Claire Vance’s downtown legal office overlooked the city skyline. Rain streaked down the tall glass windows, creating a soft, rhythmic backdrop to the tense confrontation happening inside.
Sitting at the long conference table were Claire and I on one side, and Ethan, Brenda, and their newly hired high-priced defense attorney, Richard Sterling, on the other side.
Brenda looked furious, her hands tightly folded on top of a leather folder. Ethan sat next to her, looking small and defeated, refusing to look directly at me.
"Let the record reflect," Claire began, her voice crisp as she adjusted the microphone connected to the court reporter's recording machine, "that this is the formal deposition regarding the emergency petition for sole custody and the civil fraud damages filed by Avery Vance against Ethan Vance and Brenda Vance."
Richard Sterling cleared his throat, leaning forward. "Claire, before we begin formal questioning, my clients are prepared to offer a reasonable settlement to resolve this matter discreetly."
"There is no discreet settlement, Richard," Claire replied smoothly, without missing a beat. "Your clients are facing felony charges for forgery. We are here to establish the record for the upcoming custody hearing and the criminal trial."
"Avery," Brenda interrupted, her voice dropping into a harsh, commanding tone. "This has gone far enough. You've made your point. You've humiliated us in front of our community. But Ethan is Theo's father, and I am his grandmother. You cannot keep my grandson from me."
"Mrs. Vance," Claire snapped, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses. "You are currently subject to a temporary restraining order. If you speak directly to my client again during this deposition, I will have the bailiff outside arrest you for contempt and protective order violation."
Brenda’s mouth snapped shut, her face turning red with suppressed rage.
Claire turned her attention to Ethan. "Mr. Vance, under oath: did you or did you not access your wife's personal digital signature files without her knowledge or consent on the night of October 12th?"
Ethan swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously toward his attorney, then toward his mother. "I... I had her permission to use her signature for insurance documents."
"Answer the specific question, Mr. Vance," Claire commanded, leaning forward. "Did she give you permission to place her signature on a voluntary guardianship surrender document transferring custody of Theodore Vance to Brenda Vance?"
"No," Ethan whispered, his head dropping down toward his lap.
"Ethan!" Brenda hissed under her breath.
"I asked for an answer, Mr. Vance," Claire continued relentlessly. "Did she give you permission? Yes or no?"
"No," Ethan said louder, his voice cracking. "She didn't know about the guardianship document."
"And who instructed you to download that specific form and paste her signature onto it?" Claire asked, her pen hovering over her notebook.
Ethan hesitated for five long seconds. The silence in the room grew heavy, suffocating, and absolute.
"Ethan, don't you dare," Brenda warned, her voice trembling with sudden desperation.
Ethan looked up at his mother. For the first time in his entire life, the illusion of her total control seemed to shatter in his mind. He looked at her not as a protective parent, but as the architect of his complete downfall.
"Mom told me to do it," Ethan confessed, his voice ringing out clearly in the quiet room. "She said if we filed the form first, Avery wouldn't be able to leave with the baby if she got upset. Mom paid for the online legal service with her credit card."
"That is a lie!" Brenda screamed, slamming her hands down on the mahogany table as she stood up. "He’s confused! He’s under immense emotional stress!"
"Sit down, Brenda!" her own attorney, Richard Sterling, barked, grabbing her arm and forcing her back into her leather chair. "Keep your mouth shut!"
Claire smiled faintly, noting down the exact timestamp on her paper. "Thank you, Mr. Vance. That concludes our primary line of questioning for today's deposition."
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I sat across from them, watching Brenda breathe heavily in her chair while Ethan stared blankly at the tabletop.
They had tried to build a trap out of lies, social intimidation, and illegal documents. But when subjected to the cold, unyielding pressure of truth under oath, their united front had collapsed in an instant, turning them against each other like cornered animals.
