Chapter 15 - Under OathThree days later, inside a high-security federal deposition room, the Harrington family sat across the long oak table from our legal team.
Melissa was dressed in a dark prison jumpsuit, her hands handcuffed to a belly chain. Callan sat beside her in orange scrubs, his legal team looking utterly defeated.
The federal magistrate judge presided over the table.
"This is the civil and criminal deposition of Melissa Harrington, Callan Harrington, and Brooklyn Harrington," the judge announced.
David Vance stood up, opening a black binder.
"Brooklyn Harrington," David began, staring at Callan's sister. "Under penalty of perjury, did your mother instruct you to deliberately shove Anastasia Vance in the kitchen on the afternoon of the incident?"
Brooklyn looked at her mother. Melissa glared at her with terrifying intensity.
"Answer the question, Brooklyn," the magistrate warned. "Perjury carries a mandatory seven-year sentence."
Brooklyn broke. She burst into violent tears, putting her face in her hands.
"Yes!" Brooklyn sobbed. "Mom told us we had to trigger Ana into an argument so we could claim domestic violence and take her company's intellectual property! Callan was supposed to fake an injury, but he accidentally burned himself!"
May you like
"You ungrateful little traitor!" Melissa shrieked, lunging across the table toward her daughter, her handcuffs rattling violently before two federal marshals slammed her back into her chair.
I watched the family tear each other apart from across the room, feeling no triumph—only a deep, quiet sense of justice finally taking its rightful place.
Related Stories
