Chapter 25 - MARINA AND HELENA FACE EACH OTHER
Marina testified next.
Helena finally lost composure.
Not shouting.
A visible tremor.
Her own daughter.
Marina admitted everything she had done.
The nursery.
The nurse.
The pediatric intake.
False witness signature.
Statement at the table.
“The heir stays. She doesn’t.”
Then:
“Did you believe Celeste consented?”
“At first I told myself she would.”
The prosecutor waited.
“That is not consent.”
“No.”
“Did you know she had already objected to you raising the baby?”
“Yes.”
“Then why continue?”
Marina’s voice broke.
“Because my mother kept telling me Damian would choose family once the child was born.”
“Did you want him to?”
“Yes.”
There.
Then forgery.
“Did you see Helena write Celeste’s name?”
“No.”
“Did you know she had?”
“No.”
“Did you sign as witness anyway?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted the document to be real.”
That sentence hurt more than if she had blamed Helena.
Then defense.
“You are receiving leniency?”
“Yes.”
“You want to avoid charges?”
“Yes.”
“You want your brother to forgive you?”
“Yes.”
“You want access to Leo?”
Marina cried.
“Yes.”
“Then you have every reason to say what Damian and Celeste want.”
Marina looked at me.
Then Helena.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because what they want now is for me to tell the truth.”
That was good testimony.
Not perfect.
Good.
Then Helena took the stand.
Her decision.
Her lawyer advised against it.
She wanted to explain family structure.
Of course.
She admitted writing the custody documents.
Admitted copying Celeste’s signature.
The courtroom shifted.
Her defense became intent.
“I never believed the documents themselves permanently transferred custody.”
Good.
That matched the evidence.
“Why forge the signature?”
“To make Damian take the plan seriously.”
There.
“Did Celeste authorize you?”
“No.”
“Did Damian?”
“No.”
“Did Marina know?”
“No.”
Good for Marina.
Then:
“Did you intend Leo to stay at Marina’s home after discharge?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Until Celeste understood her responsibilities.”
“What responsibilities?”
“To this family.”
The prosecutor asked:
“Was Celeste’s responsibility to her own child included?”
Helena stared.
“Yes.”
“Then why separate them?”
“I was not separating them permanently.”
“That was not my question.”
Silence.
Then:
“Did you believe Celeste could take Leo and leave?”
Helena’s jaw tightened.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because he is a Ravello.”
There.
The prosecutor paused.
“Was Celeste not his mother?”
“She is.”
“Did that give her authority to leave the estate with him?”
Helena said:
“Not without Damian.”
Reasonable partly, because father rights.
Then prosecutor:
“Did Damian authorize Marina to keep Leo?”
“No.”
“So neither parent authorized your plan.”
“No.”
“Yet you prepared it anyway.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Helena finally looked toward me.
“Because my son had forgotten what he was.”
I felt nothing.
Maybe that was the strangest part.
Not anger.
Not grief.
Just distance.
The prosecutor asked:
“What was he?”
Helena answered:
“A Ravello before he was a husband.”
Celeste’s hand closed around mine.
May you like
I did not squeeze hard.
I let her decide how much contact she wanted.
