Chapter 7 - The Dead Do Not TestifyWhen Madison entered the cathedral, Preston’s entire performance collapsed.
His first words were not a question about her health.
He did not ask whether the baby was safe.
He said, “That’s impossible.”
Then he admitted that he had watched her fall.
When Elias revealed that the insurance payout had been frozen, Preston attempted to deny everything.
“This is a misunderstanding,” he said as officers approached. “She slipped. I tried to save her.”
Detective Quinn stepped from the front row.
“Then why did you tell Ms. Monroe that Madison would never survive the fall?”
Preston looked toward Celeste.
Celeste stepped away from him.
“He planned it,” she said quickly. “He told me it was only supposed to frighten her.”
Preston laughed in disbelief.
“You rented the car.”
“Because you told me to!”
“You found the cliff.”
“You said she would disappear, not die!”
Detective Quinn raised one hand.
“You can continue blaming each other at the police station.”
As the officers placed Preston in handcuffs, he turned toward Elias.
“You cannot do this to me. I am Madison’s husband.”
Elias’s expression remained calm.
“You stopped being her husband when you decided her life was worth less than her insurance policy.”
Preston then looked at Madison.
For one brief moment, the charm returned.
“Madison, listen to me. I panicked. I made a terrible mistake.”
“A mistake is forgetting an anniversary,” she answered. “You researched my death for months.”
“I loved you.”
“You loved what you believed you would inherit.”
Preston’s voice became desperate.
“Think about the baby. He needs a father.”
Madison stared at him.
“You said you never wanted him.”
The smartwatch recording had not yet been released publicly.
Preston realized the police had recovered more evidence than he expected.
His face changed.
The pleading disappeared.
“You recorded me?”
“No,” Madison said. “You recorded yourself.”
Celeste began crying as detectives led her toward the side aisle.
“I didn’t touch her,” she insisted.
Madison looked at the woman she had once trusted with her schedule, her medical appointments, and access to her home.
“You helped him choose the place where he would kill me.”
Celeste lowered her head.
As Preston passed the coffin, he suddenly pulled against the officers.
“You staged this entire funeral!”
Elias tapped the top of the coffin with his cane.
“The only thing inside is every lie you told about my daughter.”
The cathedral doors opened once more.
Reporters gathered on the steps as Preston and Celeste were taken into custody.
Camera flashes filled the entrance.
Madison remained near the altar.
Her strength began to fade, and Elias immediately supported her.
“You did it,” he said.
“No,” Madison replied. “We survived it.”
A sudden tightening moved across her stomach.
She took a sharp breath.
Elias looked down.
“What is it?”
Madison gripped his arm.
“I think the baby has decided he doesn’t want to miss the ending.”
Thirty minutes after walking into her own funeral, Madison was taken to the hospital.
That evening, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
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She named him Alexander Elias Vale.
His first photograph showed him asleep against his mother’s chest while police guarded the hospital door.
