AT THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, MY HUSBAND HUNG ME FROM THE CEILING BEAM AND WHPPED ME 30 TIMES, JUST BECAUSE I HAD STAINED HIS MISTRESS'S CLOTHES. I CALLED MY FIVE GANGSTER BROTHERS: "MAKE HIS ENTIRE FAMILY LIVE A FATE WORSE THAN DETH."

The bail hearing for Adrian Vale was held in New York State Supreme Court on Wednesday morning.

The courtroom was packed wall-to-wall. Every major news network had a sketch artist in the front row.

Adrian sat at the defense table wearing a prison-issue orange jumpsuit. His face was pale, his eyes sunken, his right arm still immobilised in a sling. He kept turning around, searching the gallery for friendly faces—for his country club friends, his tennis partners, his business associates.

The gallery was filled with Moretti men.

In the second row sat Marco, Luca, Dante, and Matteo, all dressed in dark charcoal suits, sitting in perfect silence, their eyes fixed on Adrian’s back like wolves watching a wounded deer.

I sat between Luca and Leo at the prosecutor’s table as the complaining witness.

Judge Patricia Wright adjusted her glasses and looked down from the bench. Her reputation was legendary: no-nonsense, incorruptible, and ruthless toward domestic abusers.

"Mr. Vale," Judge Wright began, her voice echoing off the high stone walls. "I have reviewed the bail application submitted by your counsel. I have also reviewed the forensic evidence, the audio recordings, and the surveillance footage submitted by the District Attorney’s office."

Adrian’s high-priced defense attorney—the only one willing to take the case on credit—cleared his throat. "Your Honor, my client is a lifelong resident of New York, a respected business executive, and poses no flight risk. We request bail be set at a reasonable amount of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, with home confinement at his family estate."

"What estate, counselor?" Judge Wright interrupted, arching an eyebrow.

The defense attorney blinked. "Excuse me, Your Honor?"

"The Vale estate in Bedford was foreclosed upon yesterday afternoon at three o'clock," Judge Wright said dryly, shuffling through her papers. "The deed has been transferred to the receiver. Mr. Vale has no residence. Furthermore, the charges against Mr. Vale include kidnapping in the second degree, aggravated assault with a weapon, and witness tampering."

The prosecutor stood up. "Your Honor, the state requests remand without bail. The defendant demonstrated extreme cruelty, premeditation, and utilized his financial resources to illegally detain and torture the victim. He is a clear danger to the victim and the community."

"Your Honor, please!" Adrian blurted out, standing up abruptly. His attorney frantically tried to pull him back down, but Adrian’s panic had overridden whatever manners he had left. "Anna is my wife! This is a domestic misunderstanding that got out of hand! She provoked the situation! Look at me—her brother broke my wrist! I am the victim here!"

Judge Wright looked down at Adrian with cold disgust.

"Mr. Vale," she said, her voice dropping into a register that signaled the end of a man’s freedom. "I have watched the video of you hanging a defenseless woman by her wrists while your companions laughed and drank alcohol. In thirty-five years on the bench, I have rarely seen a more despicable display of cowardly cruelty."

She brought her gavel down with an earth-shattering *BANG*.

"Bail is denied. Defendant is remanded to the custody of the New York City Department of Correction pending trial. Next case."

Adrian went limp. Two court officers grabbed him by the arms and dragged him toward the side door.

As he was pulled past our table, Adrian caught my eye.

"Anna!" he screamed, his voice cracking into a desperate wail. "Anna, tell them! Tell them you forgive me! You loved me! You promised to stay with me for better or worse! Anna!"

I didn't blink. I didn't flinch.

I leaned forward slightly and said, clear enough for the entire front row to hear:

"I promised to love Adrian Vale, the gentleman. But you were never a gentleman, Adrian. You were just an empty suit hanging on a monster."