Chapter 24 - BIANCA TESTIFIES ABOUT THE PEN
Bianca wore a simple navy maternity? She had already given birth. A modest navy dress.
No Livia.
No father beside her.
She testified alone.
The prosecutor asked:
“Did you consent to taking the prescription medication found in your blood?”
“No.”
“Did you know it was in your drink?”
“No.”
“Did Gavin ask you to sign documents?”
“Yes.”
“Did Lenora?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“Sign—or leave with nothing.”
Then the papers.
Bianca admitted she had initialed an earlier property inventory.
Defense focused there.
“You sign documents without reading?”
“I did that one.”
“So it is possible you agreed to financial consolidation and later regretted it.”
“No.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Because I repeatedly refused the management authorization.”
Then:
“Did Gavin ever tell you he would take all your money?”
“He said if I left without signing, I should not expect the Rusk family to protect me financially.”
“Not the same as taking.”
“No.”
Good.
No exaggeration.
Then the tea.
“Did you see Gavin place medication into it?”
“No.”
“Did you taste anything?”
“No.”
“Could you have taken the medication accidentally?”
“I did not take it knowingly.”
Then my influence.
Defense asked:
“Your father is a wealthy and intimidating man?”
“Yes.”
“Did he dislike Gavin?”
“After the hospital, yes.”
“Before?”
“They had disagreements.”
“Did your father retaliate economically?”
“Yes.”
The courtroom became quiet.
“Did that make you feel pressure to accuse Gavin?”
Bianca looked toward me once.
Then:
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because the medication was in my blood before Dad knew it existed.”
That was the cleanest answer of the trial.
Then:
“Did Marcello control your decision to divorce?”
“No.”
“Your housing?”
“No.”
“Your legal team?”
“He offered.”
“Did you accept?”
“Some help. Not control.”
Then Bianca said something no lawyer had scripted.
“Gavin kept telling me every independent decision was secretly my father’s decision. My father sometimes made that easy to believe because he tried to solve things with power. But that does not mean I belonged to Gavin instead.”
Silence.
The case was not father versus husband.
It was Bianca versus control.
Finally, prosecutor showed the fountain pen.
Evidence photograph.
Not the physical pen necessarily.
“Why do you remember it?”
Bianca looked at Lenora.
May you like
“Because she put it on my blanket like the only thing left for me to do was obey.”
No more questions.
