Then he connected his phone to the ballroom sound system.
Vanessa’s recorded voice burst from the speakers.
“Sign it, Ethan. By Monday, the court freezes his accounts. Gerald gets temporary control, Mom moves the money, and we blame your father’s dementia. After that, it won’t matter what he says.”
Silence followed, enormous and merciless.
Vanessa looked around at three hundred witnesses.
“It was a joke,” she whispered.
Ethan removed his wedding ring.
“No,” he said. “The joke was thinking I’d protect you.”
Gerald ran toward a side exit. Detectives caught him before he reached the door.
Celeste slapped me.
The room erupted.