Chapter 23 - THE PRICE OF TELLING THE TRUTHThe weeks that followed were consumed by depositions, document reviews, and negotiations between prosecutors and defense attorneys.
Amber testified before a federal grand jury.
She described the pressure Julian had placed on her, the transactions she had approved, and the evidence she had collected without reporting it.
She did not pretend that she had been innocent of every decision.
“I knew certain transactions were wrong,” she admitted. “I convinced myself I could gather enough evidence to stop the people responsible before anyone discovered my involvement. That was a mistake.”
Her attorney argued that she had been coerced and had eventually cooperated with investigators.
The prosecution acknowledged her assistance but made clear that cooperation did not erase the consequences of her actions.
Thomas listened from outside the courtroom.
He was proud of her honesty, but he was not ready to return to the marriage they had once known.
When Amber finished testifying, she approached him in the courthouse corridor.
“Did I say enough?”
“You told the truth.”
“Do you believe me now?”
Thomas took a moment before answering.
“I believe that you're trying to tell the truth. Trust takes longer.”
Amber nodded, accepting the distinction.
“I understand.”
She looked toward the exit, where a group of reporters waited.
“I don't want Noah to grow up thinking his mother was a monster.”
“Then keep showing him who you are now,” Thomas said. “Don't ask him to forget what happened. Give him something better to remember.”
That evening, Thomas visited Noah's classroom with a box of dinosaur books.
His son was delighted.
He had begun sleeping more peacefully, although he still asked questions about why his parents could not live together.
Thomas answered them as honestly as a five-year-old could understand.
“Sometimes grown-ups make mistakes that hurt people,” he explained. “Sometimes they have to live in different places while they work out what happens next.”
“Will we be a family again?”
Thomas hugged him.
“We will always be your family. What that looks like may change, but nobody is taking that away from you.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors announced formal charges against Richard Sterling, Julian Vance, and several executives connected to the financial network.
The indictment included conspiracy, fraud, bribery, obstruction, and offenses related to the intimidation of witnesses. Additional charges connected to Margaret's death would be pursued as the evidence allowed.
For the first time, the case was moving beyond rumors and private accusations.
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It was becoming a public record.
And the trial would determine whether the powerful people who had controlled the truth for years could finally be held accountable.
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