Page 37 of The 1 Lawyer

“Mine. I take full responsibility for the improper relationship. It was improper for any number of reasons. I was older; she was in her twenties. I was married; she wasn’t. But also, it was an unforgivable breach of professional ethics. When I accepted her as a patient, I owed her a duty as a medical doctor. I violated that duty when our relationship became sexual.”

“How long did the sexual relationship between you and Aurora Gates continue?”

He gave a shaky sigh. “It’s complicated. There was a point, two months before her death, when I came to my senses. I tried to end it. She refused to let go, said she was in love with me.”

“What happened after that?”

“I tried more than once to cut off all contact with her. But she’d demand to see me, insist on talking about the decision. We’d get together, and I was so stupid. Stupid and weak.”

“What happened on those occasions?”

His shame was apparent as he slouched in the witness chair. “We’d end up having sex.”

“Where?”

“In a hotel room, usually. Occasionally in my office, after hours. Sometimes in my car.” He shook his head. “It was crazy. And of course she was confused about my intentions, because my actions weren’t consistent with my words. She’d send more texts, making demands, professing love. Threatening to reveal the affair.”

“When did the affair actually end?”

“The last time we had sex was about two weeks prior to her death. I was so ashamed of myself. After that, I finally said, ‘That’s it, we’re done.’ I blocked her number on my phone.”

“What happened then?”

“When she couldn’t reach me, she came to the office. I walked into the examining room, and there she sat. She insisted that I unblock her on my phone. She made threats, said she’d expose the affair, tell my wife.”

“What else happened on that occasion?”

“She told me she was pregnant. Her periods had been irregular and scant, so she’d done a home pregnancy test and it was positive.”

“What did you do?”

“I had a nurse test her. She was pregnant. It’s in her file. I went back to the examining room and told her that the pregnancy didn’t change my decision to end the affair. It was over.”

“What did she say?”

“She said we still had to talk, to discuss the pregnancy, what I intended to do about it. I knew that a conversation was inevitable. But we couldn’t have it in the middle of the workday, with my patients and staff nearby. I said I’d be in touch, that I’d meet her at a later date. I texted her the next day. We agreed to meet the following night, June thirteenth.”

“Tell the jury about your last encounter with her, the last time you saw Aurora Gates.”

He turned to address the jury. “We agreed that she’d pick me up at the office and we’d drive to a restaurant. A restaurant at my father’s casino. Most of the patrons are hotel guests from out of town.”

“Why did Aurora drive?”

He turned back to me. “I told my wife I was working late. I wanted my car parked by the office in case someone we knew drove by. It was part of the pattern of deception I’d used during my relationship with Aurora.”

“What happened?”

“I tried to talk to her at the restaurant, but she was unreasonable. She wanted me to get a divorce and marry her. She was living in a fantasy. I’d never led her to believe that was a possibility. I love my wife.” Speaking to the jury, he repeated, “I love my wife.”

I heard an audible sob from directly behind me—where Iris sat. I didn’t pause. “And what next?”

“There was a scene at the restaurant. She was angry—she accused me of taking advantage of her. She said I had broken her heart, ruined her life. I got angry too, said things I shouldn’t have. I told her that she was the one at fault, that she’d created her own problems because she was reckless and immature. That she shouldn’t have gotten involved with a married man. And I blamed her for having two unwanted pregnancies in a year. It was terrible. I was insensitive and cruel.”

“And then?”

“And then we got in the car. She drove from the waterfront casino directly back through downtown Biloxi. She pulled into a parking lot near my office. I got out there, and she drove off while I walked to my car.”

“What time was that?”

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