Chapter 8: The Night Everything Changed
The courtroom no longer felt like a place where a divorce was being decided.
It felt like a place where a life was being uncovered.
Piece by piece.
Memory by memory.
Lie by lie.
And now we had reached the one thing Garrick Sterling had spent fifteen years avoiding.
The night my father died.
I stared at Garrick across the room.
For years, I had carried the pain of losing my father without ever questioning the circumstances.
It had been an accident.
That was what everyone told me.
That was what Garrick told me.
A terrible accident.
An unfortunate moment.
A tragedy nobody could have prevented.
But now he sat there, pale and silent, with the judge asking why his name appeared in my father’s final documents.
And suddenly, the story I had accepted for fifteen years felt incomplete.
Judge Blackwood looked at the paper again.
“Mr. Sterling.””
Garrick slowly lifted his eyes.
“Yes?””
“Your name appears in correspondence related to Mr. Ashby’s final estate revision.””
Garrick’s attorney immediately stood.
“Your Honor, we object. This is moving into speculation.””
The judge looked at him.
“Then we will not speculate.””
He tapped the document.
“We will examine facts.””
The attorney sat down.
Judge Blackwood looked toward Elliot.
“Mr. Vane, explain your understanding of this document.””
Elliot took a slow breath.
“I believe Mr. Ashby discovered that Garrick had concealed information from Marlowe.””
Garrick shook his head.
“No.””
Elliot continued.
“And he intended to protect her.””
I looked down.
My fingers tightened together.
My father.
Even after he was gone.
He had still been trying to protect me.
Judge Blackwood looked at me.
“Mrs. Sterling, did your father ever mention being concerned about your marriage?””
I thought about it.
Really thought about it.
There were moments.
Small moments.
Things I had ignored because I was young and in love.
The way my father became quiet when Garrick talked about money.
The way he watched Garrick during family dinners.
The way he once asked me:
“Do you know what kind of man someone is when nobody is watching?””
At the time, I thought he was asking a philosophical question.
Now I wondered if he had been trying to warn me.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“He tried.””
The judge waited.
“He tried to warn me.””
Garrick looked at me.
“Marlowe, you’re misunderstanding.””
I turned toward him.
“Am I?””
His mouth closed.
Because he knew.
He knew I had finally reached the place where his explanations no longer worked.
Judge Blackwood continued.
“Mr. Sterling, did you meet with Mr. Ashby on the evening before his death?””
Garrick froze.
That reaction answered before his words did.
“Yes.””
A murmur moved through the courtroom.
I stared.
“You never told me that.””
Garrick looked uncomfortable.
“It wasn’t important.””
My heart sank.
Not important.
My father’s final night.
A meeting he never mentioned.
Not important.
“What did you discuss?””
Garrick looked at the judge.
“Business.””
“What business?””
Garrick hesitated.
“The company.””
Judge Blackwood looked down.
“Specifically?””
No answer.
The judge waited.
Finally, Garrick said:
“The ownership agreement.””
The room went silent.
Because that was the first time he admitted it.
The first time he acknowledged that my father’s involvement had not disappeared.
He had simply hidden it.
I looked at Garrick.
“You met my father because he was trying to take back what belonged to me.””
“That’s not what happened.””
“Then what happened?””
He looked at me.
And for a moment, I saw the younger Garrick.
The man who had once sat at my kitchen table.
The man who had looked afraid of failing.
Then it disappeared.
The old Garrick returned.
“I was protecting what I built.””
I felt something inside me go still.
There it was.
Not regret.
Not guilt.
Ownership.
Even now.
Even here.
He believed protecting his empire justified everything.
Judge Blackwood leaned forward.
“Mr. Sterling, what happened during that meeting?””
Garrick didn’t answer.
The judge looked at Elliot.
“Mr. Vane?””
Elliot stepped closer.
“I don’t know everything that happened inside that room.””
Garrick looked relieved.
But Elliot continued.
“But I know what happened afterward.””
The judge looked at him.
“Explain.””
“Garrick called me.””
“When?””
“About thirty minutes after he left Mr. Ashby’s office.””
My chest tightened.
“What did he say?””
Elliot looked at Garrick.
“He said the situation was handled.””
The courtroom went quiet.
Judge Blackwood’s expression changed.
“Handled?””
“Yes.””
“What did you understand that to mean?””
Elliot swallowed.
“At the time, I thought he meant the argument was over.””
“And later?””
Elliot looked down.
“Later, I realized he meant something else.””
Garrick’s attorney stood.
“Your Honor, this is speculation.””
The judge considered it.
Then looked at Elliot.
“Do you have evidence?””
Elliot nodded.
“Yes.””
My breath caught.
Another document.
Another secret.
Elliot opened the folder and removed a small envelope.
“This was found in my private files.””
Judge Blackwood accepted it.
“What is it?””
“A copy of a message Garrick sent me that night.””
Garrick’s face changed.
“What?””
Elliot looked at him.
“You asked me to delete it.””
The courtroom became completely silent.
Judge Blackwood opened the envelope.
He read the message.
His expression became unreadable.
Then he looked at Garrick.
“Mr. Sterling.””
Garrick didn’t answer.
The judge continued.
“This message states that you wanted Mr. Vane to remove certain company records immediately.””
Garrick’s voice became sharp.
“Because they were inaccurate.””
The judge looked up.
“And why would inaccurate records require immediate removal?””
No answer.
Because there wasn’t one.
The judge looked back down.
“Furthermore, this message was sent two hours before Mr. Ashby’s accident.””
My stomach dropped.
Two hours.
I closed my eyes.
My father.
The last night of his life.
Garrick was not a stranger.
He was involved.
Maybe not in the way my mind feared.
Maybe not in the way everyone else was thinking.
But he was there.
And he had hidden it.
For fifteen years.
Judge Blackwood looked at me.
“Mrs. Sterling, did you know your father had planned to meet with an attorney the following morning?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“Did you know he intended to change his ownership documents?””
“No.””
“Did you know Mr. Sterling was aware of those plans?””
I looked at Garrick.
He looked away.
“No.””
My voice broke slightly.
“I didn’t.””
For the first time that day, I felt something stronger than anger.
Grief.
Because I wasn’t just learning that Garrick lied.
I was learning that my father had been fighting for me when I wasn’t even aware I needed protection.
Judge Blackwood reviewed the information.
“This court is not a criminal proceeding.””
The room waited.
“However, the evidence presented raises serious concerns regarding the validity of financial documents and disclosures.””
Garrick exhaled slowly.
His lawyer leaned toward him.
“We need to speak.””
Garrick ignored him.
He looked at me instead.
“Marlowe.””
I didn’t respond.
“I never wanted this.””
I stared at him.
“That’s what you always say.””
His face tightened.
“Because it’s true.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You never wanted consequences.””
That hurt him.
I could see it.
Because somewhere deep down, Garrick still wanted to believe he was the victim of circumstances.
Judge Blackwood ordered another recess.
Everyone began standing.
As I gathered my papers, Elliot approached me.
“Marlowe.””
I looked at him.
There was guilt in his eyes.
“I’m sorry.””
“For what?””
“For not telling you sooner.””
I studied him.
“Why didn’t you?””
He looked toward Garrick.
“Because I was afraid.””
That surprised me.
“Of him?””
Elliot nodded.
“He wasn’t always like this.””
I almost smiled sadly.
“I know.””
That was the tragedy.
The worst people are not always monsters from the beginning.
Sometimes they are people who slowly choose themselves over everyone else.
Elliot lowered his voice.
“There’s something else you need to know.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He glanced around.
Then handed me a small folded paper.
“I found this with your father’s documents.””
I opened it.
Only one sentence was written.
My father’s handwriting.
The handwriting I would recognize anywhere.
*Marlowe, if you are reading this, it means Garrick finally showed you who he really is.*
My breath caught.
There was more beneath it.
A second line.
A line that made my hands shake.
*But there is one thing you still don’t know about the night I died.*
I looked up at Elliot.
“What does this mean?””
Before he could answer, the courtroom doors opened.
A court officer stepped inside.
“Judge Blackwood has received new evidence.””
Everyone turned.
The officer held a sealed envelope.
“This was delivered moments ago.””
Judge Blackwood took it.
He opened it.
Read the first page.
Then slowly looked toward Garrick.
His face had changed.
Not surprise.
Not confusion.
Something much heavier.
“Mr. Sterling.””
Garrick stood.
“Yes?””
The judge held the document.
“Before we continue, you need to answer one question.””
The courtroom held its breath.
May you like
Judge Blackwood’s voice was calm.
“Why did you pay someone to keep silent about Mr. Ashby’s death?””
