Chapter 10: The Docket Date
The conference room at Marcus's downtown law firm smelled of old paper, polished mahogany, and strong black coffee. Two laptop screens cast a pale blue glow over the paperwork scattered across the table, illuminating charts, wire transfer logs, and certified copies of the phone's encrypted data export.
Arthur Vance, the lead family law attorney, leaned back in his leather chair and tapped a pen against his yellow legal pad. "The judge has locked in the preliminary hearing for next Tuesday morning, Marcus. Given the financial crimes unit's report and the metadata from the phone Chloe recovered, Danielle's counsel knows they have no factual ground to stand on."
Marcus sat stiffly across from him, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on the digital calendar displayed on the monitor. "Are they still pushing the narrative that I fabricated the digital records?"
"They tried, but it failed," Arthur replied, shaking his head. "When we submitted the certified carrier logs showing the phone was registered in Danielle's maiden name and billed to her private account, her defense team practically imploded. Her publicist dropped her yesterday afternoon."
I sat in the corner armchair, sketching idly in my notebook while listening to the heavy cadence of their legal strategy. The constant anxiety that had gripped my chest since the wedding night was slowly giving way to a steady, hard resolve. We weren't hiding anymore. Marcus had made sure our lives were secure, locking down our accounts, changing the home security codes, and installing a direct line to the local precinct.
"What about the assets she transferred overseas?" Marcus asked, his voice low and uncompromising. "Can we claw them back before the hearing?"
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"The district attorney's office has already issued international freeze orders on the recipient accounts in the Cayman Islands," Arthur said, sliding a final document across the table for Marcus to review. "By Tuesday, we won't just be asking for a standard dissolution of marriage. We'll be presenting a comprehensive case for asset recovery and permanent sole custody. Danielle's legal strategy is dead in the water."
Marcus signed the bottom of the document with a firm, decisive stroke of his pen, handing it back to the attorney. "Good. Let's finish this."
