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The staff immediately went quiet, and Gunnar continued.
“We have proof with the medical records. There is more evidence coming out every day, including partygoers’ phone footage of you at the boat party—”
“We will not speak about that today,” Paul cut in.
I trembled, and Doctor Casey took my hand. Images of me on the boat. Did they have me following Landon? Did I look sick?
“Okay.” Gunnar cleared his throat and gentled his tone. “The deposition will also include the coast guard medical team, the nurse on board, the test from the hospital in Nantucket, and the police statement.”
“I’ve also committed to testify on your psychology and treatment,” Doctor Casey offered.
“The criminal case is strong, and our civil case is a slam dunk once the guilty verdicts come in. A few of the men are pleading guilty and are turning in evidence. We’ll find out more about that. The criminal case has been assigned to Judge Mann.” Groans sounded from around the table.
Gunnar held up his hands. “She’s a fair judge. Dale, the District Attorney assigned to the case, has filed motions against cameras and the press. She has ruled against cameras but has agreed to allow the press. We will have to deal with whatever spin will come out from the men still fighting their charges. You will have to sit for a deposition. You will be cross-examined, which is essential for the negligence charge for you.”
“It is your story to tell, Nadia, no one else’s. We will support whatever decision you make, and it will be the right one,” Doctor Casey said.
There was only one choice. I had to take the stand and give my truth to the world. I had to do it not just for myself but for my future.
“I want to prepare for the deposition.”
A woman came in and leaned over Gunnar’s ear. She handed an envelope to him, and he cursed.
“What is it?” He motioned for Paul to follow him outside the room, and they left.
I blinked, looking around at the surprised faces. Whatever happened wasn’t business as usual. Paul came back, his expression grim, and gestured for me. “Nadia.”
My pulse jumped, and I hurried out to meet with him. “Is there something wrong? My parents?”
“No, Nadia.” Paul placed his arm on my back. “Go ahead, Gunnar.”
“Your…birth mom Nora, or should I say, Celeste Ebbings, has been identified in the press.”
“We think it would be good for you to know everything about her,” Paul added.
Gunnar handed me a thick folder. “The old folder I gave you before was a summary, but this is more of what we collected from the private investigator we hired. The press will more than likely try to embarrass or use your birth mom’s life to paint a negative picture of you. She…also offered you a chance to speak with her if you’d like.”
A tear dropped off my chin. I hadn’t realized I was crying. Nora. She has a new name. She wants to meet me, after all this time.
I nodded a few times, but my throat closed, and I couldn’t say another word. This was even more overwhelming than I’d thought. I didn’t feel confident I’d do well under cross-examination. All of this…it was so awful. It felt like I was drowning, and I couldn’t find the surface to take a breath.
Paul handed the folder to Gunnar and hugged me tight. “I’m taking Nadia home.” He whispered only to me. “We will see the other side of this. That, I promise.”
We walked out, and even though it saddened me, I was anxious to find out about Celeste Ebbings, the woman who walked away and didn’t look back.
The large folder with Nora’s, a.k.a. Celeste’s, information burned my hand. Her life was a puzzle piece of my story that had been missing, and now all the answers were at my fingertips. Where did she go? Or better still, why did she leave and never come back? Just thinking about it reduced me to the little girl in the trailer standing on the stairs, reaching and pleading for her to not leave me behind. But she closed the door in my face. No goodbyes, no returns. Even when my mom gave her a chance when she was in jail, she could have seen me again, but she didn’t. But if she did, I’d have that hope. Nora never wanted me to hope for her. She never wanted me at all.
Paul held out his hands for me to hand the folder over, which I reluctantly complied. “If it was up to me, I’d burn that file. I don’t want you hurt again by her.”
“I know, but it’s up to me, Paul. I want to know. I’m sick of not knowing.”
Laurence put it in the trunk, and no one spoke about taking me to a separate place.
Paul took my hand in his. “We’re heading home.”
My heart skipped a beat. Home with Paul. I placed my head on his shoulder and sighed.
“From what I do know about…Celeste….” I rolled the name through my mind. Nora’s new name was just as foreign as she’d become in my life. She existed as a phantom on the outskirts of my memories. The ones that had left me crying in my sleep. But the life I knew with her was hard. “Her life wasn’t easy—”
