Chapter 11 - The Confession
A month later, the trial preparations dominated the news.
Vanessa's lawyers tried to suppress the audio recording, claiming it was obtained illegally. The judge ruled against them.
Faced with a mountain of evidence and Ryan's damning testimony against her, Vanessa cracked.
She accepted a plea deal.
In exchange for a reduced sentence on the attempted murder charge, she confessed to everything on the record.
She admitted to the embezzlement, the assault on Ryan, and lighting the match that burned down our home.
But the most shocking revelation came during her allocution in open court.
"Ryan wasn't entirely innocent regarding the fire," Vanessa stated, staring directly at me in the gallery. "He knew I was going to burn the house. We agreed on it."
A murmur went through the courtroom.
"He just wanted me to do it while his wife was out of town," Vanessa continued with a cruel smirk. "When the auditors moved the deadline up, we had to do it that night. Ryan told me he would slip her a sleeping pill so she wouldn't wake up during the smoke."
The floor seemed to drop out from under me.
"But I hit him before he could," she finished.
I looked at Ryan, who was sitting at the defense table. He wouldn't look at me.
He had planned to drug me. He had planned to let me burn.
The betrayal was absolute. There was no misunderstanding, no moment of panic.
It was calculated murder.
The judge slammed his gavel.
May you like
"Mr. Davis, your plea deal is hereby revoked," the judge announced. "You will stand trial for conspiracy to commit murder."
I walked out of the courtroom, breathing the fresh air for what felt like the first time in a year.
