Page 22 of Matrimonial Merger

I ignored her oracle predictions, but was grateful for my mother’s compassion in the darkest moment.

“Now, you are a Delphine and a Carlisle. Chin up. Stiff upper lip. You will manage, darling.”

And with that and tears dried, we left.

Walking back to the courtroom, my pulse raced. I took the stand shortly after, terrified of what could happen. Chandlersmirked in a way that made me want to slap him. I snapped. My stubborn, enraged, calculating side came out. Iwouldwin this. I sat up, chin straight, and stared right at him. The smirk faded. He knew I wasn’t giving in.

“Ms. Delphine, it is alleged that the accused distributed pornographic material without your consent in August of the previous year. Is that true?” The prosecutor began.

“Yes,” I answered, hands shaking less.

“And this was distributed without any of your knowledge?”

“That is correct.”

“Can you confirm what your relationship is to the accused?”

“He is my ex-husband,” I answered.

“And at the time this allegedly occurred, was the accused still your husband?”

Unfortunately, yes.I responded with a stern, “Yes. Our decree was signed but not yet approved by the judge. We legally were still married. However, we were both in committed relationships elsewhere.”

The prosecutor nodded and stepped back to grab a screenshot of the tape.

“I apologize for how hard this is, but I must confirm it. This is you, is it not?”

He showed me a photo of my drunken, likely drugged face, looking up at Chandler like an actress in a bad amateur porn.

“It is me,” I agreed. “However, that tape was taken probably a decade ago. I barely recognize that woman.”

“Understood. We all do change. Ms. Delphine, when did you find out about this tape’s circulation?”

“My divorce attorney called and warned me. It was shortly posted on various news sites and social media—usually slightly censored—but the whole tape made it to adult sites quickly. I had to issue takedown notices. It was awful.”

“And how did that make you feel?”

“Objection!” Chandler’s attorney said, rightfully so. “Relevance.”

The prosecutor sighed, “Withdrawn. Ms. Delphine, can I ask why you believe the tape was circulated?”

“I can only speak to my own belief,” I said in my best legal way. “But, Mr. Walker was upset about his divorce settlement amount. This is well-documented in the numerous messages he sent to my email and phone. I gave those records to you all. However, I cannot confirm if the other intent was just to embarrass me. However, my belief is that he did want to hurt me in retaliation.”

“An act of revenge?”

I nodded. “That is whatIbelieve. Either way, he did this without my consent. That I know for a fact.”

“Thank you. No more questions, My Lord.”

The defense attorney rose at his desk as Chandler looked on.

“Ms. Delphine, did you originally consent to the tape being taken?” He asked.

“I said he could take it at the time—or I must have. However, I realize I was under the influence which speaks to the fact that I wasunableto consent to both the act performed and the filming of said act.”

The attorney smiled, satisfied. “Well, we’ve all done a little bit of that while drunk, certainly. Didn’t you go to university?”

“I attended Oxford. I can say to this day the only partner who has ever come onto me when I was so out of it was Mr. Walker.”

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