Chapter 8 - The Verdict
The jury deliberated for less than two hours—one of the fastest verdicts in state history for a major felony trial.
The entire courtroom stood in dead silence as the jury foreman handed the yellow verdict sheets to the bailiff, who passed them up to Judge Patricia.
Judge Patricia reviewed the papers, adjusted her glasses, and looked down at the defense table with cold disgust.
"Will the defendants please rise?"
Mark, Brenda, and Chloe stood up. Mark was shaking, his arrogant swagger completely gone.
"On Count One: Aggravated Domestic Battery and Torture against Elena Vance... how do you find the defendant, Mark Vance?"
"Guilty," the jury foreman spoke clearly.
"On Count Two: Unlawful Imprisonment and Criminal Conspiracy..."
"Guilty."
"On Count Three: Corporate Fraud, Grand Larceny, and Embezzlement..."
"Guilty."
"On Count Four: Falsification of Medical Records and Forgery..."
"Guilty."
Every single count was read. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Across all three defendants.
Brenda collapsed into her chair, clutching her chest as her lawyer tried to comfort her. Chloe wept silently, staring at her hands. Mark stood frozen, staring at the floor as if his legs had turned to lead.
"Mr. Mark Vance," Judge Patricia said, her voice cutting through the room like a blade. "In my twenty-five years on the bench, I have rarely witnessed a act of such cold, calculated, and malicious cruelty against a pregnant spouse. You treated the mother of your child not as a human being, but as a financial hurdle to be destroyed.
"I am sentencing you to twenty-two years in state prison without the possibility of parole for fifteen years. Furthermore, I am issuing a permanent, lifetime protective order barring you from ever coming within five hundred yards of Elena Vance or her daughter, Lily Vance. You have forfeited all parental rights permanently."
"No... no! Please, Your Honor!" Mark screamed as the guards immediately slapped heavy iron shackles around his ankles and wrists. "Elena! Tell them! Elena, please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
I sat at the table, my arms crossed, watching him with an unyielding, unbreakable expression. I didn't say a word. I didn't offer a single tear.
"Take him away," Judge Patricia ordered.
Mark was dragged out of the side door of the courtroom, his boots dragging on the floor as he screamed my name until the heavy steel door slammed shut, cutting off his voice forever.
Brenda Vance was sentenced to four years of house arrest and ordered to pay three million dollars in restitution. Chloe Bennett, due to her plea deal, was sentenced to six years in state prison.
As the judge adjourned the court, Maya turned to me and held out her hand.
"We did it, Elena," she said softly.
May you like
I stood up, pulled Maya into a tight, emotional hug, and looked out at the crowded courtroom filled with reporters and supporters who were standing up and applauding.
For the first time in a year, I breathed a full, deep breath of clean air. The nightmare was finally over.
