Chapter 12 - The Verdict
The jury deliberations took less than four hours.
When the foreperson stood up to read the verdict, you could have heard a pin drop in the courtroom. I held Sarah's hand tightly, feeling the pulse of her heart against my palm.
"On the charge of Aggravated Kidnapping and False Imprisonment, we find the defendant... Guilty."
Vivienne closed her eyes.
"On the charge of Fraud and Tampering with Medical Records, we find the defendant... Guilty."
Her defense attorney sighed heavily, packing up his briefcase before the reading was even finished.
"And on the charge of Attempted Murder in the First Degree, regarding the poisoning of Thomas Jenkins... we find the defendant, Vivienne Sterling... Guilty."
A collective exhale swept through the gallery. The judge didn't wait for a separate sentencing hearing. He looked down at Vivienne with absolute disgust.
"Vivienne Sterling, your actions demonstrate a level of calculated cruelty and psychopathy that is rarely seen in this courtroom. You weaponized a mother's love to enslave her, and you nearly murdered an innocent child for your own convenience. I am sentencing you to consecutive life sentences in a maximum-security federal penitentiary, without the possibility of parole."
"No!" Vivienne shrieked, fighting against the bailiffs as they moved in to cuff her. "You can't do this to me! I am a Sterling! David! Do something!"
She looked at me, a wild, desperate plea in her eyes.
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I didn't blink. I didn't flinch. I simply stood up, put my arm around Sarah’s waist, and turned my back on the monster who had almost destroyed our lives. We walked out of the courtroom together, leaving the sounds of Vivienne’s pathetic screams echoing behind us.
As we stepped out into the bright afternoon sun, a cool breeze washed over us. The nightmare was finally, permanently over.
