Three days later, the glass consultation room inside the city detention center was cold and sterile.
Amber sat at the metal table wearing an orange jumpsuit, her blonde hair messy and her eyes red from crying.
The heavy door opened, and Sienna walked inside, wearing a dark blue suit and carrying a leather briefcase.
Amber: Why are you here? Did you come to laugh at me again?
Sienna: I don't waste my time laughing at people, Amber. Sit down.
Amber pulled her chair back, sitting down slowly as the metal handcuffs clicked against the table.
Amber: The state appointed lawyer told me I'm facing ten years in prison for financial fraud.
Sienna: Ten years is the minimum sentence for grand larceny involving eight million dollars.
Amber: I didn't take a single dollar of that money for myself! Richard controlled all the credit cards!
Sienna: I know he controlled them. Our forensic team verified your digital banking logs yesterday.
Amber looked up, a faint spark of hope lighting in her tired eyes.
Amber: You verified them? So you know I'm telling the truth?
Sienna: You were a fool, Amber. A greedy, naive fool who wanted a shortcut to a luxury lifestyle.
Amber: I was young and stupid... he told me he loved me. He told me he was going to take care of me forever.
Sienna: He told three other women the exact same story over the last five years.
Sienna opened her briefcase and pulled out a thin legal document, sliding it across the metal table.
Sienna: This is a state witness cooperation agreement.
Amber: What does it mean?
Sienna: It means if you testify against Richard in court and detail every single document he forced you to sign, the district attorney will drop all felony charges against you.
Amber's hands trembled as she read the legal terms on the white paper.
Amber: You're going to help me? After I yelled at you and threatened you in your penthouse?
Sienna: I'm not helping you for your sake, Amber. I'm doing it to make sure Richard Vance spends the rest of his life behind bars.
Amber: He lied to my face for two years... he made me think I was his wife while he was using my name to hide his stolen wealth.
Sienna: Then sign the paper and help me put him away forever.
Amber picked up the black pen sitting on the table, her hand shaking as she wrote her signature across the bottom line.
Amber: It's done. I'll tell the judge everything. Every single lie he told me.
Sienna: Good. My legal team will pay your bail bond this afternoon. You'll be released by five o'clock.
Amber wiped a tear from her cheek, looking across the table at Sienna with deep, humbled appreciation.
Amber: Thank you, Sienna... I'm so sorry for how I treated you in that room.
Sienna: Don't thank me yet, Amber. Your old life is completely over. You have to start from scratch.
Amber: I don't care about the dresses or the penthouse anymore. I just want my freedom back.