Chapter 16 - The Verdict
The jury deliberated for less than four hours.
When they filed back into the courtroom, the tension was suffocating. Julian stood up, his knees visibly trembling, flanked by federal marshals.
The judge asked the foreperson to read the verdict.
"On the charges of wire fraud and embezzlement, we find the defendant... Guilty."
Julian closed his eyes, a tear slipping down his cheek.
"On the charges of domestic assault and unlawful imprisonment, we find the defendant... Guilty."
"On the charges of extortion and financial coercion, we find the defendant... Guilty."
The gavel banged, sounding like a death knell for Julian’s entire existence.
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He collapsed into his chair, burying his face in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably. The wealthy, arrogant man who had stood on his porch and mocked me as an "old man" was gone. He was nothing but a broken, convicted felon facing the abyss.
I looked at Maya. She was perfectly calm. She didn't gloat, she didn't cheer. She simply closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath, releasing the final ghosts of her trauma into the air.
