Chapter 9 - The Sentencing
Six months later, justice was finally served.
Julian pled guilty to tax evasion and criminal negligence to avoid a lengthier trial. He was sentenced to five years in federal prison.
Beatrice, unable to handle the disgrace and the poverty, had moved to a miserable, cramped studio apartment in a rundown neighborhood, living entirely off social security. She was a pariah. None of her high-society friends would even return her calls.
I sat in the back of the criminal courtroom, watching the guards place the heavy shackles around Julian's wrists and ankles. He was no longer the arrogant billionaire who controlled everything. He was just an inmate.
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He didn't look back at me as he was led through the side door to begin his sentence. He knew there was nothing left to say.
I walked out of the courthouse and into the bright Manhattan sunshine. The air had never felt cleaner. I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the last year finally lift off my shoulders. I had walked through the fire, and I had emerged completely unburned.
