“Yes.”
“You also testified that porn permeated your relationship. That it was unbearable when my client’s compulsion interfered with his ability to perform. Is this also correct?”
“Yes. It was unbearable to be with a man who needed porn to . . . uh . . . function, basically.”
“Ms. Holly, are you against porn in general? Meaning, do you have a general objection to people watching pornography?”
“No, I’m not generally against porn.”
“And, in fact, you watched porn with Billy, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t watch porn before I met Billy, but yes, we did watch it together once in a while.”
“And did you enjoy it?”
“Objection!” Anderson calls out. “Relevance?”
“Sorry,” DeFiore says. “I’ll rephrase. You enjoyed seeing Billy happy, right?”
Diana looks at her hands. “Yes.”
“In fact, you and Billy watched porn at your suggestion, correct? For instance, when you realized he enjoyed porn, and, more to the point, porn enabled him to perform, wasn’t it your idea, not his, to position the computer next to the bed?”
“I wanted to be a supportive . . . I don’t know . . . partner . . .”
“Ms. Holly, please answer with a yes or no, and then you can explain. Again, wasn’t it your idea to position the computer on the desk?”
“Yes, it was my idea.”
“Would you say that porn enhanced your sex life?”
“Yes, sometimes.”
“Let’s change the subject. Ms. Holly, you’re from Squirrel Hill, an expensive suburb of Pittsburgh, correct? Perhaps the most expensive. Is it fair to say your family has a lot of money?”
Diana grins for the first time. “Well, there’s money and then there’s money.”
The jury laughs. Diana must’ve picked up Eleanor’s catchphrase from Billy. If Eleanor recognizes it, she doesn’t show it. She stares ahead, brick faced.
DeFiore isn’t amused. “I’m not sure what you mean. Are you implying that your family is wealthy, but your parents—and you, I assume—have higher financial goals? Is that why they named you Diana and call you ‘princess’？ For the Princess of Wales?”
“No. Lots of parents call their daughters ‘princess.’ It’s a term of endearment.”
“Did your family have royal aspirations? To be New York royalty, like, say, the Quinns?”
Diana chuckles nervously. “Of course not.”
“But they did encourage you to date my client so that you might benefit financially?”
“No. I mean, yes, they encouraged me to date Billy, but only because they liked that he was smart and headed to medical school. My dad is a heart surgeon.” She looks up for a second, searches for her father in the gallery.
“But didn’t your father say he was suspicious of Billy? That in fact he didn’t like him?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Ms. Holly, did you have designs on my client’s money?”
“No.”
“But you testified you were seduced by his wealth, that he was irresistible. You also testified that on the night you were with his family, his sister Cassie caught you wandering through their house, gaping at the rooms. Correct?”
“Objection!” the DA shouts.
“No, I never said his sister found me wandering through their house.”
“Oh, my mistake. But you did walk through the Quinns’ house before dinner, correct?”
“Yes, I did.”
“So, you were impressed by the Quinns’ home?”
“Of course. Anyone would be. The Valmont is a landmark building. It’s a historic apartment.”
“But you weren’t interested in the Quinns’ money?”
“No, not at all. I understood their money had nothing to do with me.”
“But it would if you and my client got married, correct?”
“If we got married, I’d have to sign a prenuptial agreement.”
“Which you knew because you and my client had discussed the future, correct?”
“Yes. At the start of the relationship, we talked about a lot of things.”
“Did you talk about the future on the night you were with his family in November?”
“We may have. I don’t remember.”
Why is DeFiore so hung up on that night? What am I missing? I remember finding Lawrence in the celebration room. “Be right there,” he said. Upon leaving, I bumped into Diana, who was in the hall, holding a porcelain vase upside-down. “That’s from the Ming dynasty,” I snapped. “I’m sorry,” Diana said, caught. She put down the vase gently. “I’m so sorry.”
“When did you realize that my client’s porn-watching problem was problematic?”
“Late July, early August.”
“Ms. Holly, I’m confused. You testified that you and my client discussed the future in November, correct? Yet now you’re saying his habits were so problematic for you in July that you broke up with him soon after. Isn’t it true, then, that my client’s habits don’t bother you at all? That your objection to him watching porn is merely a story you believe you have to tell for the sake of this trial?”
“Objection!” Anderson jumps to his feet. “Badgering the witness.”
DeFiore holds up his hands, surrender-style. “Withdrawn. New question, Ms. Holly. Isn’t it true you brought up marriage to my client one week after your first date? And you continued to bring it up, even after my client asked you to stop?”
“I don’t remember.”
“And wasn’t it Billy, not you, who tried to break off the relationship in September? And wasn’t it you who refused?”
“No, it didn’t happen that way.”
“Well, isn’t it true that you texted my client twenty times in a one-hour period?”
“I don’t remember.”
“And in these texts, you begged him to stay with you, correct?” DeFiore marches over to the defense table. He motions to Felicia to hand him a stack of papers with multicolored exhibit stickers hanging off the side. He shows the stack to Anderson, who nods, and then DeFiore requests permission to approach the witness.
“You may approach,” the judge says.
“Diana, I’m going to show you what has previously been marked as Defendant’s exhibit L-432. Have you ever seen these before?”
Yes, Diana says. I’ve seen those before. Yes, I’m familiar with the contents of this exhibit. Yes, those are my texts with Billy.
“Ms. Holly,” Judge McKay says. “Can you read these messages into the record?”
“Don’t do this, Billy. We love each other. You know you love me. Please, Billy. Call me. Why are you ignoring me?”
“Ms. Holly, I believe you were dishonest in your testimony today when you described your relationship with my client. Isn’t it true that the pornography complaint is irrelevant?”
“I wanted to connect with him any way that I could.”
“Were you trying to connect with him or trap him in a relationship with you?”