Chapter 65 The Lawyer
Harper sat in the law office conference room, exhausted and numb.
Three days since Claire had shot Sebastian. Three days of police statements and hospital visits and barely sleeping. The baby was fine. Sebastian was recovering. Claire was in jail awaiting trial.
And now they needed to deal with the legal aftermath.
Sebastian's lawyer, Thomas Chen, spread documents across the table. No relation to the other Chens, he'd assured them repeatedly. Just an unfortunate surname.
"The good news is the evidence against Claire is overwhelming," Thomas said. "Between the recordings, her confession, and the physical evidence, the DA is confident of conviction on all charges."
"And the bad news?" Sebastian asked. His arm was in a sling, his movements still careful.
"Claire's lawyer is claiming temporary insanity. Says the gunshot wounds and blood loss made her irrational. That she wasn't in her right mind when she escaped and attacked you."
"That's garbage," Harper said. "She planned this for five years. She was perfectly rational."
"I agree. But her lawyer is good. He's going to paint a picture of a woman driven to madness by your father's favoritism. A victim who snapped under pressure."
Sebastian's jaw tightened. "So she tries to murder us and gets to play the victim?"
"She's going to try. That's why we need to be prepared." Thomas pulled out another stack of papers. "The DA wants you both to testify at her trial. Detail the attacks, the surveillance, everything she did. Your testimony is crucial to securing a conviction."
Harper felt sick. "We have to relive all of it in court?"
"I'm afraid so. Claire's lawyer will try to discredit you. Claim your marriage started as fraud, that you're unreliable witnesses, that you're vengeful rather than truthful." Thomas looked at them seriously. "This will get ugly. They'll dig into every aspect of your relationship. The contract. The money. The rushed timeline. Everything."
"Let them," Sebastian said. "We have nothing to hide anymore."
"Don't you?" Thomas pulled out a specific document. "This is the forged contract someone sent Harper months ago. The one with the custody clause. Claire's lawyer has a copy. He's going to claim this is the real contract. That you planned to steal any children from the marriage all along."
Harper's hands went to her stomach protectively. "But that's not the real contract. We proved it was forged."
"We know that. But a jury might not understand the technical details of document authentication. Claire's lawyer will create reasonable doubt." Thomas leaned forward. "He's going to argue that Claire was trying to protect Harper from a manipulative husband. That everything she did was misguided concern, not malicious intent."
"That's insane," Harper said. "She admitted to orchestrating everything. To wanting to destroy Sebastian."
"Under duress. After being shot by police. While injured and traumatized." Thomas's expression was sympathetic. "I'm not saying I believe it. I'm saying this is what we're up against."
Sebastian stood and walked to the window, staring out at the Seattle skyline. "So my sister shoots me, and somehow I'm the villain in this story."
"Not if we prepare properly. Harper, I need to ask you some difficult questions." Thomas opened his notepad. "The contract marriage. When did it become real for you? When did actual feelings develop?"
"I don't know exactly. Somewhere between the first month and the third." Harper looked at Sebastian's back. "It wasn't a single moment. Just gradually realizing I cared about him more than the arrangement."
"Claire's lawyer will say you're lying. That you're still in it for the money and the hotel renovation. That your testimony is biased because you benefit from Claire's conviction."
"How do I prove I love him? How do I prove it's real?"
Thomas tapped his pen against the notepad. "That's the challenge. Love isn't quantifiable. It's subjective. Which makes it easy to discredit in court."
"So we're going to lose," Harper said flatly.
"No. We're going to win. But we need to be strategic." Thomas pulled out photos. Crime scene images from the Adriatic. Sebastian bleeding on the floor. Claire with the gun. "These images are powerful. They show attempted murder clearly. No amount of sympathy narrative can erase the fact that she shot her own brother."
"When's the trial?" Sebastian asked, still at the window.
"Six months. Maybe longer depending on how many delays Claire's lawyer files."
Harper felt the baby kick. Six months. She'd be heavily pregnant or possibly already delivered. Testifying with a newborn at home. Reliving trauma while trying to start their lives.
"There's one more thing," Thomas said carefully. "The embezzlement charges. Morrison is cooperating with the DA. He's offered to testify against Claire in exchange for a reduced sentence."
"Absolutely not," Sebastian said immediately. "Morrison murdered people. He doesn't get a deal."
"The DA disagrees. Morrison's testimony strengthens the case against Claire significantly. Shows premeditation, planning, conspiracy spanning years."
"At what cost? Morrison walks free after a few years?"
"Ten years minimum in federal prison. It's not walking free."
"It's not justice either." Sebastian finally turned from the window. "Thomas, I want Morrison to face the full consequences of what he did. Don't let the DA make deals."
"I'll communicate your position. But ultimately, it's the DA's decision." Thomas gathered his documents. "In the meantime, I need you both to write detailed accounts of every attack, every threat, every moment Claire manipulated you. Everything goes in the testimony."
After the meeting, Harper and Sebastian sat in the parking garage in silence.
"I can't do this," Harper said finally. "Testify about everything. Relive all of it for a jury. Defend our relationship to strangers."
"You can. We both can." Sebastian took her hand. "Because the alternative is Claire getting acquitted and being free to try again."
"She shot you. How does she possibly walk away from that?"
"Temporary insanity. Self-defense. Mental breakdown. There are legal strategies that could work if we're not prepared." Sebastian's voice was tired. "Thomas is right. We need to be ready for her lawyer to paint us as the villains."
Harper leaned her head back against the seat. "I'm so tired of fighting. Of defending ourselves. Of proving our relationship is real."
"I know. Me too."
"And in six months, we'll have a newborn. We'll be sleep-deprived and overwhelmed and they want us to testify about attempted murder?"
"We'll manage. Somehow. We always do."
But Harper heard the exhaustion in his voice. They were both running on empty. Both reaching their limits.
"What if we didn't testify?" Harper asked. "What if we just let the physical evidence speak for itself?"
"Then Claire's lawyer controls the narrative. Makes her the victim. Gets her a lighter sentence or possibly acquittal." Sebastian turned to look at her. "Harper, I know this is hard. But we have to see it through. We have to make sure she can't hurt anyone else."
"I know. I just wish it was over. Really over."
"Soon. Six months. Maybe less if the trial moves quickly."
Six months of waiting. Six months of dreading the trial. Six months of their private trauma becoming public record.
Harper's phone buzzed. Detective Morrison.
"Mrs. Colton, I wanted to inform you that Claire made bail this afternoon."
Harper's blood went cold. "What? She tried to murder us. How did she make bail?"
"Her lawyer convinced the judge she's not a flight risk due to her injuries. She's under house arrest with monitoring but she's out of jail pending trial."
"So she's free. The woman who shot my husband is free."
"Technically she's confined to her residence with strict monitoring. But yes, she's out of custody."
After hanging up, Harper looked at Sebastian with tears in her eyes. "She made bail. She's out."
Sebastian's face went pale. "How is that possible?"
"Her lawyer convinced the judge. She's under house arrest but Sebastian, she's out there. Planning. Waiting."
They sat in the car, both of them realizing the truth.
It wasn't over.
Not even close.
Claire was free.
And in six months, they'd have to face her again.