Chapter 5 - Vanessa Tried To Turn One Fall Into A Fortune
Three days later, Vanessa’s attorney sent demands.
The venue received one.
My employer received another.
I received a personal preservation letter warning against deleting communications.
She claimed physical injury.
Emotional trauma.
Public humiliation.
Reputational damage.
She wanted damages.
A lot.
At first, I panicked.
I lived comfortably.
Not richly.
I had rent.
Student loans almost finished.
A car payment.
Savings I had built slowly.
The idea of being personally sued by someone with more money than I might earn in ten years terrified me.
My employer’s insurer appointed counsel for issues connected to my work.
The lawyer’s first question was:
“Did you intend to injure her?”
“No.”
“Did you intend to make her fall?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
I stared at him.
“Good?”
“Good that you answered honestly. Do not improve your story.”
I learned quickly that legal problems become worse when people turn truth into marketing.
Vanessa claimed she had been unable to attend social functions afterward due to humiliation.
Social media posts showed her at two private events within ten days.
She claimed serious mobility problems.
Security footage showed her walking from the wedding without assistance.
None of that meant she had no pain.
Bruising hurts.
Falls hurt.
It meant the catastrophic version she preferred did not match evidence.
Her demand dropped.
Then dropped again.
The larger problem remained employment.
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I could survive Vanessa being dramatic.
I did not know whether I could survive losing the career I had built.
