Chapter 9 - Day in Court
The morning of November 15 arrived with a sharp gray sky and cold rain sweeping across Richmond.
Inside Courtroom 3B of the Henrico County Family Court, the air was heavy and quiet.
Derek sat at the defense table dressed in the only clean suit he had left. Beside him sat a court-appointed public attorney—he could no longer afford private representation. Across the aisle, Evelyn sat in the gallery, her face pale, wearing a coat she had bought at a consignment shop.
At the plaintiff's table sat Audrey Vance.
She wore an elegant charcoal-wool coat, her dark hair pulled back into a neat, sophisticated chignon. Her face was calm, radiant, and utterly unshakeable. Sitting beside her were Arthur Vance and two senior litigation partners.
Judge Margaret Miller presided over the bench. She reviewed the thick stack of financial documents, trust deeds, and forensic audit reports resting before her.
"Mr. Halston," Judge Miller began, her voice crisp and resonant in the quiet courtroom. "I have reviewed the evidence submitted by the plaintiff's counsel regarding property ownership, trust assets, and corporate guarantees."
Derek stood up, his public defender gently touching his elbow to keep him grounded.
"Your Honor," Derek pleaded, his voice cracking. "I acknowledge my personal failings as a husband. But I worked for six years to build my life! My wife completely erased me overnight! She locked me out of my home, destroyed my business, and cut me off from my newborn daughter!"
Judge Miller raised a hand, cutting him off sharply.
"Mr. Halston, let us clarify the facts," Judge Miller declared firmly. "The residence at Grandview Estates never belonged to you. It was purchased entirely by the Vance Family Trust two decades before you met Mrs. Vance. You lived there under a trust-subsidized agreement."
She flipped to the next page.
"Furthermore, the forensic financial audit reveals that you misappropriated over $340,000 from accounts guaranteed by Mrs. Vance to fund personal luxuries, unauthorized trips, and gifts for third parties during her pregnancy. That is not 'being erased'—that is accountability."
Evelyn gasped softly from the gallery, burying her face in her hands.
"Regarding custody," Judge Miller continued, looking directly at Derek. "Given the ongoing criminal fraud investigation into your business practices and your documented abandonment of your wife during childbirth, full legal and physical custody of Maisie Vance is awarded solely to Audrey Vance."
Derek felt his knees buckle. He leaned heavily against the wooden table. "Your Honor... please... supervised visitation?"
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"Visitations will be suspended pending the completion of your criminal proceedings and a mandatory psychological evaluation," Judge Miller ruled, bringing her heavy wooden gavel down with a decisive CRACK.
"Court is adjourned."
