Chapter 20 - VIVIENNE’S DEFENSE
Vivienne’s defense was not:
I didn’t touch the band.
Evidence destroyed that.
It became:
I never intended to take Matteo permanently.
Probably true.
Then:
I intended only temporary caregiving while identity was confirmed.
Yes.
Then the key question:
Who created the identity problem?
She did.
Her lawyer tried:
Vivienne believed Roman’s household had become too insulated.
Irrelevant.
Then:
She feared Elena would prevent Bianca from developing any bond.
Emotionally relevant.
Legally weak.
Then:
She believed DeLuca tradition allowed elders to assign godparents and temporary caretakers.
Tradition is not parental consent.
Then:
No child was physically harmed.
True.
Matteo was safe.
That would matter at sentencing.
It did not erase deliberate identity tampering.
Then her most dangerous argument:
“The biological child remained within his own family.”
As though parental rights were a circle large enough for every DeLuca adult to enter.
The prosecutor’s response was simple:
“Which family member had legal authority to remove or reassign the infant?”
Answer:
Elena and Roman.
Not Vivienne.
Not Bianca.
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Not family council.
That simplicity became the center of the case.
