Chapter 9
Vanessa’s trial was swift.
With the recordings, the financial records, and the undercover agent’s testimony, there was no defense. She didn’t even take the stand. Vane was gone, replaced by a public defender who could barely look her in the eye.
The jury deliberated for four hours.
Guilty on all counts.
Child abuse. Conspiracy to commit murder. Attempted murder. Witness tampering.
The judge sentenced her to forty-five years to life. No possibility of parole for thirty years. She’d be seventy-three before she even had a chance to get out.
Daniel Reed was sentenced too—ten years for his role in the murder plot.
As the bailiff led Vanessa away in handcuffs, she looked at me one last time. There was no hatred in her eyes now. No rage. Just emptiness. She was broken.
And I felt nothing.
No satisfaction. No triumph. No closure. Just… nothing. She was a small, sad person who’d spent her life hurting others to make herself feel powerful. And now she’d have decades in a cell to think about what she’d done.
I walked out of the courtroom and into the sunlight.
Sarah was waiting for me.
“It’s really over,” she said.
I nodded. “It’s really over.”
That night, I made the kids their favorite dinner—spaghetti with meatballs and way too much garlic bread. We ate in the living room in front of the TV, something I’d never allowed before. Rules could be broken sometimes.
After dinner, we sat on the porch swing watching the sunset.
Lily was curled up in my lap, her head on my chest. Ethan was sitting beside me, his shoulder pressed against mine.
“Daddy?” Lily said sleepily.
“Yes, princess?”
“Is the bad lady gone forever?”
I kissed the top of her head.
“Forever and ever. She can never hurt you again. Not ever.”
“Good,” she said. “Because I like it when it’s just us. Just you and me and Ethan. It’s quiet. And happy.”
Ethan was quiet for a minute.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, buddy?”
“Were you scared? During all of it? I know I was.”
I thought about it.
“I was terrified,” I said honestly. “Every single day. I was scared I’d lose you. Scared I’d failed you. Scared I’d made the worst mistake of my life by bringing her into our home.”
I looked at him.
“But you know what kept me going?”
“What?”
“Watching how brave you were. Both of you. You went through something terrible, and you came out the other side stronger. You told the truth even when you were scared. You stood up for yourselves. That takes more courage than I’ll ever have.”
Ethan puffed out his chest a little.
“I am pretty brave,” he said.
I laughed. “The bravest.”
We sat in silence for a while, watching the stars come out.
“Daddy?” Ethan said again.
“Hmm?”
“Do you think Mommy is watching us? From heaven?”
My throat tightened. I thought about Sarah, my wife. Her smile. Her laugh. The way she’d loved these kids with every fiber of her being.
“I know she is,” I said. “And she’s so proud of you. Both of you. She’s been with us this whole time. Helping us be brave.”
Lily lifted her head, her eyes heavy with sleep.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, baby?”
“Can we get a dog?”
I laughed.
“A dog?”
“Uh-huh. A fluffy one. To protect us. And to sleep at the foot of my bed. Dr. Bennett says pets are good for healing.”
I looked at Ethan. His eyes were wide, hopeful.
“You want a dog too?”
He nodded so hard his hair flopped in his face. “More than anything.”
I pretended to think about it.
“Well… I guess we do have a big backyard. And I guess we could use someone else around here to keep me company when you two are at school.”
Their faces lit up.
“Really?”
“Really. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the shelter. We’ll find the biggest, fluffiest, most protective dog they have. Deal?”
“DEAL!” they shouted together.
Lily snuggled back into my chest.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, princess. More than all the stars in the sky.”
Ethan leaned his head on my shoulder.
“Love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, buddy. More than anything.”
I sat there holding my two children, watching the stars twinkle above us. The air was warm. The crickets were chirping. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked.
Everything was quiet.
May you like
Everything was whole.
And for the first time in a very long time… I felt at peace.
