Chapter 103 The Truth

Chapter 103 The Truth
The witness stand felt like a stage. Every eye in the courtroom on me. The jury box to my left. Patricia and Brennan to my right. Judge Martinez directly ahead. And behind the bar, Adrian, Mom, Jordan all watching, all hoping I wouldn't fall apart.

The bailiff approached with a Bible. "Please raise your right hand."

I did, my hand trembling.

"Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do."

"Please state your name for the record."

"Emma Wolfe." My voice came out steadier than I expected. "Emma Rose Wolfe."

"Please be seated."

I sat, gripping the arms of the chair. Lisa Martinez stood, giving me an encouraging nod.

"Good morning, Mrs. Wolfe."

"Good morning."

"I know this is difficult, so I'm going to ask you to take your time with your answers. If you need a break at any point, please let us know. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Let's start with some background. How did you meet Adrian Wolfe?"

Deep breath. Start at the beginning.

"I was working at a coffee shop. He came in one day and he knew my name. He said he had a business proposition for me."

"What was that proposition?"

"He needed a wife. A temporary wife for one year. To help him in a custody case involving his daughter. He offered to pay me two million dollars."

I heard murmurs from the gallery. Several jurors' eyebrows raised.

"And why did you accept this offer?"

"My mother was dying of cancer. She needed surgery that cost three hundred thousand dollars. I was working three jobs and still couldn't afford it. I was desperate." My voice cracked slightly. "I know how it sounds. But I was desperate."

"And did Adrian Wolfe explain why he chose you specifically?"

This was the hard part. The part that made everything seem calculated.

"Yes. Because I look like his late wife, Sophia. His in-laws were fighting for custody of his daughter, and he thought if he remarried someone who resembled Sophia" I swallowed hard. "He thought it would help his case. That his daughter would adjust better."

"How did that make you feel?"

"Uncomfortable. Used. Like I was just a replacement. A stand-in for someone who'd died." I met Lisa's eyes. "But I needed the money. So I said yes."

"And you married Adrian Wolfe?"

"Yes. In November of last year. A small ceremony at the courthouse."

"Did you fulfill your end of the contract?"

"Yes. I lived in his house. Cared for his daughter, Lily. Attended social functions with him. I did everything the contract required."

"And during this time, did your relationship with Adrian change?"

I felt Adrian's eyes on me from the gallery. "Yes. We fell in love. It wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. By the time the contract was supposed to end, neither of us wanted it to."

"When did you discover you were pregnant?"

"Late September. About three weeks before" I stopped. "Three weeks before I was kidnapped."

"And was the pregnancy planned?"

"No. We'd been careful, but things happen. When I found out, I was terrified. But Adrian was happy. We both decided we wanted the baby."

Lisa nodded, letting that sink in for the jury. Establishing that this wasn't some calculated plan but genuine feelings, genuine surprise.

"Mrs. Wolfe, let's talk about October 15th of last year. Can you tell the jury what happened that night?"

Here it was. The part I'd been dreading.

"I was working a late shift at the coffee shop. My second job. I left around 11:45 PM. The parking lot was mostly empty just a few cars. I walked to mine, unlocked it, and"

My voice caught. I could feel the panic rising.

"Take your time," Lisa said gently.

I took a breath. In for four, hold for four, out for four.

I was taken,
"Did you know these people?"

"Helen, yes. She'd been Adrian's assistant before Sophia died. I'd met her a few times. Robert I knew who he was. Patricia's husband. But I'd never spoken to him."

"What did they say to you?"

This was it. The critical testimony.

"Helen she said, 'This isn't personal. But Adrian Wolfe needs to learn what it feels like to lose someone he loves.' And Robert said, 'Patricia wants him to suffer the way she's suffered.'"

"Did they use Patricia  name specifically?"

"Yes. Multiple times. Helen said, 'Patricia wants this. Patricia planned this. Patricia is finally getting justice for Sophia.' She wasn't hiding it. She wasn't being vague. She explicitly said Patricia  had ordered them to kidnap me."

"Objection, hearsay," Brennan called out.

"Your Honor, this is being offered not for the truth of the matter asserted, but to show the defendant's statements through her co-conspirators," Lisa argued.

"Overruled. The witness may continue."

I took another breath. "Robert kept saying he was sorry. That he didn't want to do this, but Patricia had paid him. That he owed her. That their daughter deserved justice."

"Their daughter being Sophia Wolfe?"

"Yes."

"What else did they say?"

"Helen told me I was going to die. That they'd make it look like an accident or random violence. That Adrian would be devastated but would never know Patricia was responsible. She was" I stopped, remembering Helen's cold smile. "She was proud of it. Proud of the plan. She kept saying Patricia was brilliant, that she'd thought of everything."

"How long were you held captive?"

"Sixteen hours. From midnight until about 4 PM the next day."

"And during that time, did Helen Wade or Robert Hartley mention Patricia again?"

"Many times. Helen was on the phone with someone at one point I couldn't hear the other side, but she said, 'Yes, Patricia. Everything's going according to plan. He'll get the message.' And Robert" My voice caught. "Robert kept apologizing. He said, 'Patricia was right about Adrian, but you're innocent. You don't deserve this.'"

"What did you think he meant by that?"

"That Patricia blamed Adrian for Sophia's death. That she wanted revenge. And I was just collateral damage. A way to hurt Adrian."

Lisa paused, letting the jury absorb this. Then: "Mrs. Wolfe, what happened at the end of those sixteen hours?"

This part was harder. The part where everything went wrong for Robert.

"Robert changed his mind. He told Helen he couldn't go through with it. That killing me was too far, that Patricia had gone too far. Helen pulled out a gun. Said Patricia had paid them to finish this and they were going to finish it."

"What did Robert do?"

"He tried to stop her. They fought. And somehow" Tears were streaming down my face now. "Somehow Robert got stabbed. I don't know if it was Helen or if he if he did it to himself. But there was blood everywhere, and he told me to run. Told me to tell the police everything. That Patricia had to be stopped."

"And did you run?"

"Yes. I ran. I was still zip-tied, bleeding, terrified. But I ran. I made it to a main road, and a driver stopped. Called 911. And that's that's how I was found."

Lisa walked closer to the witness stand. "Mrs. Wolfe, to be absolutely clear for the jury: did Helen Wade and Robert Hartley explicitly state that Patricia ordered your kidnapping?"

"Yes. Multiple times. There was no ambiguity. No room for misunderstanding. Helen said Patricia had planned this, paid for this, wanted this. Those were her exact words."

"And do you have any doubt that Patricia was responsible?"