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Chapter 8 - The Coward’s Final Deposition

Seventy-two hours later, Room 604 of the Cook County Domestic Relations Building was convened for the mandatory emergency deposition of Jason Bennett.

Jason sat across the conference table wearing a wrinkled grey suit, looking gaunt, unwashed, and completely shattered. His high-priced corporate attorneys had withdrawn after discovering the commingled funds; he was now represented by an exhausted court-appointed counsel.

Sitting on our side of the table was Victoria Sterling, alongside forensic accountant David Vance (my maternal cousin) and myself. I wore a crisp navy blazer, my posture upright and unyielding.

Victoria tapped the microphone on the deposition recording deck.

“State your name for the record,” Victoria instructed.

“Jason Bennett,” he mumbled, staring at the polished wood.

“Mr. Bennett,” Victoria began, sliding a thick ledger across the table. “Between October 2023 and January 2026, you diverted $412,000 from the Bennett & Vance Architectural Escrow Account into your mother’s personal checking account, labeling the transfers as ‘Consulting Overhead.’ Can you show this court a single consulting deliverable Diane Bennett ever produced?”

Jason swallowed hard, his throat clicking. “She... she managed the interior aesthetic direction of our residential projects.”

“Really?” Victoria opened Exhibit 24. “Because these receipts show that $180,000 of those funds went toward Diane’s country club dues, private European cruises, and custom designer jewelry. Meanwhile, your wife Emily was paying for your daughter’s pediatric health insurance out of her personal drafting stipends.”

Jason closed his eyes, sweat beading along his forehead. “I intended to repay the firm once our River North project closed.”

“There is no River North project, Jason,” I spoke up, my voice cutting through his lies with surgical clarity. “The developers canceled the contract yesterday after reviewing your forged signatures on the structural safety certifications.”

Jason snapped his head toward me, his voice breaking into a desperate whimper. “Emily... please. You’re destroying my life. We were a family! You made vows to me!”

“I vowed to love a partner, Jason,” I replied, looking directly into his hollow eyes. “I never vowed to let you and your mother abuse my child. You traded your wife and daughter for your mother’s approval. Now you can let your mother bail you out.”

Victoria slid the final settlement terms across the table.

“Here are the conditions for non-criminal referral regarding the architectural fraud, Mr. Bennett:

Complete, unreserved surrender of all parental and custody rights to Lily Vance.

Full transfer of all equity, intellectual property, and client databases of Bennett & Vance LLC to Emily Vance.

Liquidation of your personal share in the Gold Coast condo to pay $350,000 in restitution to the child’s educational trust.”

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Jason looked at his attorney. The lawyer gave him a single, grim nod of defeat.

With trembling hands, Jason took the pen and signed every single page, forfeiting his entire existence with a few strokes of black ink.

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