Chapter 5 - The Web of LiesMy father pulled a small silver USB drive from his pocket and laid it on the bedside table.
"What is that?" I asked.
"Two years ago, when Trevor started cutting you off from your old friends, I hired a discreet security firm to monitor the exterior of your residence," Richard revealed. "I thought he was cheating on you, Rebecca. I wanted to protect your financial interests. I had high-definition cameras installed on the utility poles along your street, equipped with long-range directional audio."
My breath hitched. "You have... video?"
"We have everything," Vance confirmed. "We have high-resolution footage of him throwing you against the door frame three months ago. We have audio of his threats. And we have crystal-clear video of tonight—including the audio of him shouting 'Look what you made me do' followed by the sound of the assault, and his full confession to your father when he tried to cover it up."
A profound sense of relief washed over me, so overwhelming that I began to sob uncontrollably. For years, Trevor had gaslit me into believing I was crazy, that I was misremembering his violence, that I was provoking him. The evidence was real. I wasn't crazy.
"We aren't just filing a restraining order, Rebecca," my father said, his voice dropping an octave into a dark, calculated register. "We are going to dismantle every single brick of his life."
"He called his uncle last night," Vance added, opening his binder. "Trevor's uncle is Arthur Pendelton, the senior judge on the county circuit court. Trevor is trying to use his uncle’s political influence to block the arrest warrant and suppress the video evidence on privacy grounds."
"Arthur Pendelton is corrupt," my father said flatly. "I've known it for a decade. He's taken bribes on commercial zoning cases. Trevor thinks his family connections will shield him from a Lawson."
"What do we do?" I asked, sitting up in the hospital bed, feeling a surge of strength I hadn't felt in years.
"We don't just fight him in a courtroom, sweetie," my father said, kissing my hand. "We launch a total offensive. Tonight, Vance files the criminal charges with the State Attorney General, bypassing his uncle's county court entirely. Tomorrow morning, we freeze every joint bank account, revoke his corporate standing, and serve him with divorce papers."
Suddenly, my phone—which had been sitting on the nightstand—vibrated violently.
It was a text from an unknown number.
I picked it up with a trembling hand. It was a photo of my father's house in the suburbs, followed by a message from Trevor:
May you like
You think your daddy's money can save you? I have things on you that will ruin the Lawson name forever. Drop the charges by midnight, or I release the documents from your father's 2018 tax audit.
I looked up at my father. "Dad... he's blackmailing you."
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