Chapter 24 - I TESTIFY WITHOUT THE TITLE
The prosecutor asked my occupation.
I gave the legitimate businesses first.
Then asked whether I was publicly associated with the DeLuca crime family.
My lawyer objected to unnecessary prejudice.
Judge limited the answer.
Reputation mattered only where Vivienne’s expectation of private handling was relevant.
So I said:
“My family has a long history of resolving disputes internally.”
No romantic detail.
Then:
“Did you call police?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because a newborn identity issue is not something my family gets to adjudicate.”
Then the christening.
Vivienne’s words.
Dominic’s observation.
Owen’s scan.
My question.
Then my slap.
Defense wanted it.
“You struck your mother?”
“Yes.”
“Hard?”
“Yes.”
“After handing the baby to Elena?”
“Yes.”
“So you responded to family conflict with violence.”
“Yes.”
Silence.
No clever answer.
Then:
“You accuse Vivienne of believing family authority overrides law. Aren’t you a man who has built his reputation on private power?”
There.
The question everyone wanted.
I thought.
“Yes.”
My lawyer shifted.
I continued before he could stop me.
“That is one reason she thought I would keep this private.”
The courtroom went still.
Then:
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because my children are not instruments of family power.”
That was not rehearsed.
It was simply true.
Then defense used my false accusation against Bianca.
“You told your own son Bianca helped steal Matteo.”
“Yes.”
“Was that true?”
“No.”
“So when frightened, you jump beyond evidence.”
“Yes.”
“Why should the court trust your interpretation of Vivienne’s plan?”
“It shouldn’t trust my fear. It should trust the band in her drawer, her notes, her messages, the hospital records, and her own words.”
That ended the point.
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The case did not need me to be perfect.
It needed evidence.
