Chapter 17 - The Sentencing
The official sentencing hearing was a brief, highly publicized formality.
The judge looked down at Julian with absolute disgust, perfectly mirroring the sentiment of the entire nation.
"Julian Cross, you are a predator who hid behind a mask of wealth and privilege," the judge declared sternly.
"You attempted to murder your pregnant wife and steal millions from innocent families."
The judge formally accepted the plea agreement, striking the heavy wooden gavel with finality.
Fifty years in a federal maximum-security penitentiary, with absolutely no possibility of early release.
Julian stood up, his shoulders slumped in total defeat as the heavy chains rattled around his waist.
Before he was led away, the judge allowed me to read a brief victim impact statement.
I stood at the podium, looking directly into Julian’s hollow, empty eyes.
"You thought you were silencing me, Julian, but you actually gave me my true voice," I stated calmly.
"You are nothing but a coward, and you will die completely alone in a concrete box."
I turned my back on him before he even reached the courtroom doors.
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I did not care to watch him leave; he was already a forgotten ghost in my new life.
The heavy doors slammed shut, locking the past away forever.
