My husband poured boiling water over me whenever I got pregnant, screaming that he would keep doing it until I gave him a son.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours.

When the bailiff announced that a verdict had been reached, the tension inside the courtroom was thick enough to choke on. Luke was brought back into the room in handcuffs, his eyes darting frantically between the jury box and the judge’s bench.

"Will the defendant please rise?" Judge Miller ordered.

Luke stood, his legs visibly shaking. His public defender looked exhausted and defeated beside him.

Across the room, Maya held both of my hands tightly in hers. I could feel her pulse racing, matching my own.

"In the matter of *State v. Luke Vance*," the foreperson read, her voice clear and resonant. "On count one, attempted first-degree murder: Guilty."

A sharp intake of breath echoed through the gallery.

"On count two, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon: Guilty."

Luke’s head dropped back, a silent gasp escaping his lips.

"On count three, aggravated feticide in the first degree: Guilty."

"On count four, aggravated feticide in the second degree: Guilty."

"On count five, aggravated feticide in the third degree: Guilty."

"On count six, witness tampering: Guilty."

Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. On all fourteen counts.

Judge Miller didn't wait. Having waived the traditional pre-sentencing investigation at the defense's request, she looked down from her high mahogany bench at Luke with cold, unyielding disgust.

"Luke Vance," Judge Miller said, her voice cutting like an axe. "In my thirty-two years on the bench, I have rarely encountered an individual so entirely devoid of basic human decency. You took an institution meant for love and turned it into an abattoir of psychological and physical terror. You preyed on the woman who loved you, you slaughtered your own unborn children for money, and you showed zero remorse until the very moment your freedom was stripped away."

Luke opened his mouth to speak. "Your Honor, please—"

"Silence," Judge Miller commanded. "You have spoken enough, Mr. Vance. It is my duty to ensure society is permanently protected from your depravity. I sentence you to three consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, plus an additional forty-five years for aggravated assault and feticide. You will serve your time at Red Rock Maximum Security Penitentiary. Take him away."

The gavel slammed down.

Luke began to scream, thrashing against the bailiffs as they pinned him to the floor and dragged him toward the holding cells.

"Caroline!" he shrieked, his voice cracking into high-pitched hysteria. "Caroline, look at me! You can't do this to me! You're nothing without me! You're nothing!"

I didn't look. I turned my back to him, wrapped my arms around my sister, and buried my face into her shoulder.