Chapter 9 - The Trial
Six months later, the trial was the biggest media spectacle South Carolina had seen in a decade.
Julian and Beatrice sat at the defense table, both looking aged and hollow. Chloe, desperate for immunity, had testified against them, detailing how Beatrice had locked Leo outside during a hurricane, and how Julian had laughed about it.
When Elena took the stand, the courtroom was dead silent.
She didn't cry. She didn't act hysterical. She delivered the facts of her return with chilling, military precision. The prosecution displayed the photos of Leo's neck. They brought out the heavy, rusted choke chain.
Several members of the jury openly wept.
The defense had absolutely nothing. Julian's lawyer tried to argue temporary insanity, but the paper trail of embezzlement proved a highly calculated, criminal mind.
The verdict was swift.
Guilty on all counts.
The judge, a stern woman with zero tolerance for child abuse, looked down at Julian and Beatrice with pure venom.
"Julian Vance, Beatrice Vance. The cruelty you inflicted upon a defenseless toddler defies human comprehension. You treated a child like an animal, simply because he was an inconvenience to your vanity."
The judge slammed her gavel.
"Julian Vance, I sentence you to thirty-five years in federal prison. Beatrice Vance, you are sentenced to twenty-five years. No possibility of parole."
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As the bailiffs clamped the heavy iron cuffs onto Julian's wrists, he looked back at the gallery, making eye contact with Elena one last time. He opened his mouth to speak, to beg, to apologize.
Elena didn't even blink. She simply turned her back and walked out of the courtroom, leaving him to rot.
