Chapter 8 - The Crushing of Traitors
The trial lasted less than three weeks.
With Jimmy the mechanic turning state's evidence in exchange for a plea deal, along with the audio recordings, pinhole camera footage, and financial trails provided by the Whitmore Group, the prosecution’s case was bulletproof.
Ethan and Megan didn't even make it to jury deliberation before their defense teams collapsed.
In a desperate bid to save herself from a life sentence, Megan took the stand and testified against Ethan, detailing every conversation, every payment, and every sinister plan he had concocted over their three-year affair.
Ethan retaliated from his seat, screaming obscenities at her, accusing her of being the mastermind who seduced him into the plot. The courtroom erupted into a pathetic spectacle of two greedy monsters tearing each other to pieces on national television.
In the end, the judge showed no mercy.
Ethan Bennett was sentenced to forty-five years in maximum security federal prison without the possibility of parole.
Megan Vance was sentenced to thirty years as an accessory to attempted murder and grand fraud.
Because Ethan’s actions constituted a direct felonious attempt on my life, the court executed a total clawback of all joint assets. Every piece of property Ethan had ever owned, down to his expensive watches and custom suits, was seized by the state and liquidated to pay off Bennett Logistics’ creditors.
He entered prison with nothing but the orange jumpsuit on his back.
On the day of their sentencing, I stood on the steps of the downtown courthouse. The press corps surged forward, cameras flashing in a blinding wall of light.
"Mrs. Whitmore! Mrs. Whitmore!" a lead reporter shouted, pushing a microphone toward me. "What do you have to say to your ex-husband and former best friend as they begin their sentences today?"
I looked directly into the camera lens, knowing Ethan would see this on the small television screen in his holding cell.
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"They thought my life was worth one million dollars," I said, my voice smooth, calm, and utterly icy. "They forgot that I own the world they tried to steal from me. I hope they enjoy their new home."
I turned, stepped into my waiting black limousine, and closed the door on the past forever.
