Chapter 10
Evelyn’s trial began first.
The prosecutor opened with the coffin.
Not the fraud.
Not Victor.
Not the company.
The coffin.
A pregnant woman placed inside satin while her child still kicked.
The jury stared at the photographs.
Claire held my hand so tightly it hurt.
I welcomed the pain.
Then the 911 call played.
My voice.
“She’s alive. My wife is alive.”
Evelyn sat still, black suit perfect, face empty.
The paramedic testified.
The injection mark.
The weak pulse.
The baby’s distress.
Then Detective Holt testified about the safe, the key, the forged death preparations, the fake funeral setup.
Evelyn’s lawyer claimed grief, confusion, panic.
The prosecutor asked, “Panic buys a coffin?”
The courtroom went silent.
Claire testified on the third day.
She described finding the drawer.
Calling me.
Being confronted by Evelyn.
Nathan blocking the door.
Dr. Price entering with a needle.
Then waking only in flashes.
Cold satin.
Evelyn’s voice.
The baby moving.
I cried quietly.
Claire looked at the jury.
“I heard my husband’s voice while I was inside the coffin. That is when I knew I was not dead.”
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Evelyn looked away.
For once, she could not control the room.
