CHAPTER 18: THE LAWSUIT
It came a week later.
A process server knocked on my door at 7:30 a.m. He handed me a thick envelope and walked away without a word.
I opened it.
My mother was suing me for defamation. She claimed my interview with the Tribune had damaged her reputation and caused her "severe emotional distress." She was seeking $5 million in damages.
I read the lawsuit twice.
Then I laughed.
It was ridiculous. Baseless. A desperate attempt to intimidate me into silence.
But it wasn't just my mother.
Kendra, the bride, had joined the lawsuit. She claimed I had "ruined her wedding" and "destroyed her marriage." She was seeking $2 million.
I stared at the papers, feeling the blood drain from my face. Kendra had been Preston's accomplice. She had watched him assault Sophie. She hadn't lifted a finger. And now she was suing me?
I called Nora.
"It's a nuisance lawsuit," Nora said. "They're hoping you'll settle to avoid the hassle."
"I'm not settling."
"Good. We'll fight it. But we need to talk strategy."
The legal battle dragged on for months. My mother's lawyers tried everything to discredit me. They brought up my past, my relationships, my mental health. They painted me as a vengeful daughter who had fabricated the whole story.
But I had the evidence.
The CCTV footage.
The audio recordings.
The hospital records.
The witnesses.
One by one, the pieces fell into place. My mother's lawyer withdrew from the case. Kendra's lawyer did the same.
On the day of the pretrial hearing, my mother was forced to drop the lawsuit.
She had lost.
Again.
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And I felt a satisfaction that went deeper than victory.
Because I had proven that the truth was stronger than any lie.
