Chapter 19 - The Answer Nobody Wanted
The jury deliberated for nearly two days.
I spent the time home with the twins, trying not to watch the clock.
Lucas fell asleep against Ryan's shoulder.
Sophie stared at the moving leaves outside the window as though she'd never seen anything so astonishing.
When the call came, Ryan reached for my hand.
“We have a verdict,” Naomi said.
The courthouse hallway smelled of old coffee and floor polish.
Mrs. Alvarez sat beside us, straight-backed and furious on my behalf.
The jury found Brianna guilty of aggravated assault and attempted extortion.
Other allegations remained subject to separate proceedings.
The judge thanked the jurors and scheduled sentencing for a later date.
There was no instant speech that repaired my body or gave me back the pregnancy I'd expected.
There was simply a record that the assault had happened and that Brianna was responsible.
Brianna cried when the verdict was read.
I believed those tears were real.
I also remembered how real my own terror had been while I begged her to call an ambulance.
Outside, reporters tried to ask whether I was pleased.
I didn't want to be part of Brianna's public story anymore.
“I'm grateful my children are alive,” I said. “And I'm grateful the evidence was heard.”
Diane's separate fraud and evidence-related case continued.
Elliot cooperated with investigators about the disputed loan documents; his own conduct was being examined.
Naomi confirmed the trust remained intact and no unauthorized funds had been distributed.
Ryan stood beside me as we walked toward the parking lot.
“My mom left a message,” he said. “She wants to see the babies.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That she'll have to live with not seeing them. At least for now.”
He waited for me to say it was too harsh.
May you like
Instead, I opened the car door and asked the question that had been waiting beneath everything else.
“Can you live with that too, Ryan?”
