Chapter 8 - The Courtroom Decimation
The trial was a media spectacle, but I kept Chloe far away from it. I sat in the front row of the gallery, wearing a sharp black suit, flanked by Evelyn and Aris.
Marcus and Serena sat at separate defense tables. They despised each other now. Serena's public defender had tried to paint her as a victim of Marcus's manipulation, while Marcus's bargain-bin lawyer tried to blame Serena for the abuse.
It didn't matter. The prosecutor had Dr. Thorne's medical records, the forensic financial audit, and the security footage from my smart home that captured Serena slapping Chloe in the hallway while Marcus watched and drank a beer.
When the video played in the courtroom, an audible gasp rippled through the jury. Even the judge, a hardened veteran of family and criminal law, looked visibly disgusted.
Marcus couldn't even look up. He stared at his handcuffs, trembling.
The jury deliberated for exactly forty-five minutes.
"We find the defendant, Serena Vance, guilty of felony child abuse and grand larceny," the foreperson read.
Serena shrieked, burying her face in her hands as the bailiffs moved in to cuff her.
"We find the defendant, Marcus Carlisle, guilty of felony child endangerment, criminal negligence, and embezzlement of trust funds."
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The judge slammed his gavel. "Ms. Vance, you are sentenced to seven years in a state penitentiary. Mr. Carlisle, for your sheer cowardice, fraud, and failure to protect your own flesh and blood, I am sentencing you to twelve years in federal prison, without the possibility of early parole. Court is adjourned."
I stood up, smoothing my jacket. I didn't smile. I didn't gloat. I just turned and walked out of the courtroom, leaving the garbage where it belonged.
