Chapter 19 - THE EMPIRE
The Bennett board placed Jason on immediate leave.
Then they removed him.
Diane's honorary chair title disappeared the same afternoon.
The company hired outside investigators and disclosed years of questionable reimbursements.
Preston Hale resigned from his firm before the disciplinary hearing could begin.
Brooke accepted a plea agreement that included probation, restitution, and testimony in the larger fraud case.
Diane refused a deal.
She said Bennetts did not beg.
Six weeks later, a jury convicted her of child battery and conspiracy-related charges.
Jason eventually pleaded guilty to forgery and obstruction counts in exchange for dismissal of lesser charges. His sentence included custody restrictions, restitution, community service, and probation conditions that made contact with me dependent on court approval.
None of it felt like victory.
Victory implies you wanted the battle.
I wanted pancakes on Sunday and a husband who stood up when our daughter cried.
Instead, I got court dates, forensic experts, and a child who sometimes flinched when someone reached too quickly toward her face.
But slowly, Lily changed.
She slept through the night.
She stopped hiding spilled food under napkins.
At daycare, she knocked over a cup of milk and immediately froze.
Her teacher knelt beside her.
"It's okay, sweetheart. We clean accidents. We don't punish them."
Lily looked at me through the classroom window.
Then she smiled.
That night, Naomi called.
"The divorce judgment is ready."
I thought that would be the final page.
It wasn't.
May you like
Because tucked behind it was a handwritten letter from Jason.
And this time, I decided to read it.
