PART 3
The judge looked at him.
“I will determine what is relevant.”
Then he looked at Chloe.
“What exactly did you bring?”
Chloe slowly placed a small black flash drive on the table.
“This.”
Nick’s face changed.
Not dramatically.
Not enough for anyone who didn’t know him.
But I knew my husband.
For fifteen years, I had watched every expression cross that face.
And for the first time since he asked me for a divorce, Nick looked afraid.
I stared at the flash drive.
“What is that?”
Chloe swallowed.
“I don’t know everything that’s on it.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Your Honor—”
“But I know what I heard.”
The judge leaned forward.
“What did you hear?”
Chloe looked at me.
Then she looked at Nick.
“Daddy was talking to Uncle Marcus.”
Nick stood.
“That’s enough.”
“No,” Chloe said.
Her voice shook.
But she didn’t stop.
“You said Mommy wouldn’t be able to fight back after surgery.”
My entire body went cold.
I looked at Nick.
He didn’t look at me anymore.
He looked at the floor.
Chloe continued.
“You said she would be too tired to understand what was happening.”
My sister reached for my hand.
I barely felt her fingers.
The judge’s expression hardened.
“Chloe, tell me exactly what you heard. Don’t guess. Only tell me what you personally heard.”
She nodded.
“I heard Daddy say that once Mommy gave him the kidney, she would have nothing left to bargain with.”
My breath caught.
The room seemed to tilt.
Nick finally looked at me.
“Rachel, this is being twisted.”
I stared at him.
“Twisted?”
He shook his head.
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain it.”
He said nothing.
The judge looked at Chloe.
“What else?”
Chloe’s eyes filled with tears.
“He said he had already moved some money.”
My heart began pounding.
“Money?”
She nodded.
“He said Mommy wouldn’t notice because she was going to be sick and recovering.”
Daniel immediately objected.
“Your Honor, there is no foundation for these claims.”
The judge looked at him.
“Then perhaps your client can explain why a child has knowledge of financial transfers.”
Daniel turned toward Nick.
Nick’s jaw tightened.
I had never seen him look so trapped.
The judge extended his hand.
“Bring me the device.”
Chloe handed the flash drive to the bailiff.
The bailiff brought it to the judge.
“Where did you find this?”
“In Daddy’s desk.”
“When?”
“Three nights before Mommy’s surgery.”
The judge looked at me.
“Did you know about this?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
Then Chloe whispered something that made my blood run cold.
“There was also a folder.”
“What folder?”
She looked at me.
“One with Mommy’s name on it.”
Nick suddenly spoke.
“Your Honor, my daughter has been manipulated.”
Chloe turned toward him.
“No one manipulated me.”
Her voice was stronger now.
“I listened.”
Nick stared at her.
“You went through my things?”
“You were going to take Mommy away from me.”
“I was protecting you.”
“No.”
Chloe’s voice broke.
“You were planning to take everything from her.”
The judge ordered a short recess while the flash drive was examined.
I sat frozen beside my sister.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the sentence Chloe had said.
Once Mommy gave him the kidney, she would have nothing left to bargain with.
I had donated an organ to the man I loved.
I had put my life on an operating table for him.
And according to what my daughter had heard, he had been planning his exit before I even woke up.
My sister squeezed my shoulder.
“Rachel.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
“There’s something you need to know.”
Her expression was strange.
“What?”
She hesitated.
Then she pulled out her phone.
“I received this from Chloe yesterday.”
She showed me a message.
It was from my daughter.
It read:
Aunt Lily, I found something about Dad. I don’t think Mom knows. Please don’t tell her until I’m sure.
I stared at the screen.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Chloe begged me not to.”
I looked toward my daughter.
She was sitting alone now, waiting for the judge to return.
She looked tiny in that courtroom.
But somehow she had become the strongest person in the room.
The judge eventually returned.
“The contents of the device will be reviewed by the court.”
Daniel stood.
“Your Honor, I strongly object to admitting recordings obtained by a minor.”
The judge raised an eyebrow.
“Mr. Carter’s attorney, you may make your legal argument. But the court will not ignore potentially relevant evidence simply because it is inconvenient.”
Nick looked at Daniel.
Daniel whispered something to him.
Nick shook his head.
“No.”
Daniel leaned closer.
Nick whispered back.
I couldn’t hear the words.
Then Nick looked at me.
And for the first time since our marriage began, I saw a man looking at me not with anger, not with resentment—
but fear.
The judge asked the bailiff to play the first recording.
A man’s voice filled the courtroom.
Nick’s voice.
“She thinks this is about love.”
My stomach dropped.
Another man’s voice answered.
Marcus.
“You’re sure?”
Nick replied.
“Absolutely.”
A pause.
Then:
“Once the surgery is over, she’ll be vulnerable. She’ll have no energy to fight me.”
My hands began shaking.
The recording continued.
Marcus asked, “And the custody?”
Nick answered:
“Primary custody.”
“And the house?”
“Mine.”
“What about her money?”
A short laugh.
“I’ve already started moving it.”
My sister covered her mouth.
I couldn’t breathe.
Then Nick said something that made every ounce of warmth leave my body.
“She’ll think I’m divorcing her because the marriage failed.”
Marcus laughed.
“And the real reason?”
Nick answered:
“Because I’m done carrying dead weight.”
The recording stopped.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
I looked at Nick.
He wouldn’t meet my eyes.
The judge looked deeply troubled.
“Mr. Carter, is that your voice?”
Nick swallowed.
“I… don’t remember the conversation.”
Daniel immediately stood.
“Your Honor, my client is recovering from serious medical treatment and—”
“The recording is dated,” the judge interrupted. “The voice appears to be his.”
Daniel stopped.
Then the judge asked:
“Who is Marcus?”
Nick said nothing.
I knew that name.
Marcus had been Nick’s business partner years ago.
They had supposedly stopped working together.
Or so I thought.
The judge turned to the bailiff.
“Continue.”
Another recording played.
This one was shorter.
Nick’s voice again.
“I just need the transplant completed. After that, I can make the separation look reasonable.”
Marcus asked:
“What if she refuses?”
Nick laughed.
“She won’t.”
“Why?”
“Because she loves me.”
I closed my eyes.
A tear slipped down my cheek.
He had known.
He had known exactly how much I loved him.
And he had used it.
The recording continued.
“She’ll do anything to save me.”
I opened my eyes.
Nick finally looked at me.
I whispered:
“You knew.”
He didn’t answer.
“You knew I would give you my kidney.”
Still nothing.
“You knew I loved you.”
His eyes lowered.
The judge stopped the recording.
“Mr. Carter, I want an explanation.”
Nick’s attorney leaned toward him.
But Nick didn’t respond.
Instead, Nick looked at Chloe.
And said:
“Why would you do this to your father?”
Chloe started crying.
“Because Mommy saved your life.”
Nick stared at her.
“And you betrayed her.”
The courtroom went silent again.
Chloe wiped her face.
“I thought you were going to hurt her.”
Nick’s expression hardened.
“I never hurt your mother.”
Chloe shook her head.
“You did.”
Then she said the words that shattered whatever remained of my denial.
“You told Uncle Marcus that the kidney would make you stronger, and Mommy weaker.”
Nick went pale.
The judge leaned forward.
“Young lady, where did you hear that?”
“Daddy said it.”
“When?”
“Before the surgery.”
I looked at Nick.
“How long had you been planning this?”
He finally answered.
“Rachel…”
“How long?”
He looked away.
That was my answer.
The judge ordered another recess.
But before anyone could leave, Daniel’s phone rang.
He answered.
His face changed almost immediately.
“What?”
He listened.
Then looked at Nick.
“That’s impossible.”
Nick stood.
