Chapter 7 - THE RECKONING
The trial was brief, but it was brutal. I testified, my voice steady, my gaze unwavering as I looked at Ryan and Linda. They looked small, pathetic, and terrified. The "upstanding" couple had been stripped of their masks, revealed for the hollow, cruel shells they were.
When the verdict was read—guilty on all counts—there was no cheering. There was just a profound, overwhelming sense of relief.
My father sat in the front row, his back straight, his eyes fixed on me. He wasn't looking at the defendants; he was looking at his daughter, the woman who had walked through hell and come out the other side.
As we left the courthouse, the media swarmed, but my father’s men formed a silent, immovable wall. We walked to the car in perfect silence.
"Where now, Emily?" he asked as he started the engine.
I looked at my stomach, then at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set over the city. "Home, Dad. But not to that apartment. To somewhere new."
May you like
"I have a place in Virginia," he said. "Near the academy. It’s quiet. It’s safe. And the garden is perfect for a grandchild."
I smiled, feeling the warmth of the setting sun on my face. "That sounds perfect."
