Chapter 10 - The Subpoena
Derek swallowed hard on the screen, his polished demeanor cracking under the weight of the judge’s scrutiny.
“Your Honor, those videos... they’ve been taken completely out of context,” Derek mumbled, his voice losing its confident cadence. “We were just trying to raise awareness for a difficult medical situation—!”
“A medical situation that your own hospital records prove never existed,” Judge Thomas interrupted, his tone chillingly cold. “You fabricated a cancer diagnosis, assaulted your pregnant wife, and systematically looted public donations through shell corporations while streaming the abuse to thousands of viewers. You are not here seeking guardianship, Mr. Moreland. You are here trying to cover your tracks.”
Before Derek’s attorney could interject with another objection, the judge raised his hand.
“Furthermore,” Judge Thomas continued, looking directly into the camera lens toward my station, “I am denying the defense’s petition for conservatorship with prejudice. I am issuing an immediate, permanent restraining order barring Derek Moreland and Evelyn Moreland from coming within five hundred yards of Elena Moreland or her child.”
A wave of profound relief crashed over me, so heavy it left me momentarily breathless.
“Additionally,” the judge added, his expression hardening further, “given the gravity of the interstate wire fraud and domestic abuse charges currently being compiled by the district attorney’s office, Mr. Moreland’s bail is hereby revoked, pending a formal arraignment hearing tomorrow morning.”
On the screen, Derek’s face drained of all color as two courtroom bailiffs stepped into his frame, their hands resting on their utility belts as they moved toward him.
“No, wait—you can't do this! This is a mistake!” Derek protested, panicking as the bailiffs grabbed his arms and hauled him backward away from the camera.
May you like
The screen blinked, and Derek’s video feed went black.
I leaned back against my hospital pillows, letting out a long, shuddering breath as the steady, healthy thump of the fetal monitor echoed softly in the quiet room. The nightmare wasn't entirely over, but for the first time in months, I was the one holding the narrative.
