Chapter 9 - The Verdict
The jury deliberated for only four hours—the time it took for them to process the sheer scale of the documents I had provided.
When the verdict was read, the courtroom felt frozen in time.
Guilty.
Guilty on all counts of racketeering, money laundering, and conspiracy for the fraud charges. Guilty of assault and domestic battery for the personal charges. As the bailiff approached to lead Evan away, he finally looked at me. There was no rage left, only a profound, pathetic bewilderment. He still couldn't understand how the "timid housewife" had managed to dismantle his entire world.
"You're nothing without me," he hissed as he passed my table.
I didn't blink. "I was always someone, Evan," I replied, my voice steady. "You were just the mistake I had to correct."
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Vivian’s fate was swifter. As the details of her involvement in the 2018 cover-up went public, her board of directors at the foundation ousted her within twenty-four hours. Her assets were frozen, her social status evaporated, and she found herself sitting in the very same cold interrogation rooms she had once used to hold others captive. The "perfect family" had been reduced to a cautionary tale in the morning headlines.
I walked out of the courthouse as the sun began to set. The glare off the glass buildings was bright, but for the first time in seven years, it didn't hurt my eyes.
