Chapter 10 - The Aftermath
The trial was brief.
Faced with irrefutable digital evidence, Julian’s public defender forced him to take a plea deal. He was sentenced to twenty-five years in federal prison for wire fraud, embezzlement, and grand larceny, with additional charges for the domestic violence he admitted to on the wiretap.
The FBI managed to seize his remaining offshore assets. While the clients got most of their money back, a federal judge ordered that Lily’s trust fund be restored in full, with interest, directly from the liquidation of Julian's Georgetown estate.
One year later.
The salty breeze of the Outer Banks blew across the deck of our rented beach house. I sat in a rocking chair, sipping sweet tea, watching the waves crash against the shore.
Down by the water, Clara was laughing—a real, bright, unburdened laugh. She looked healthier, stronger, her spirit completely healed from the years of walking on eggshells. Lily was running along the surf, chasing seagulls with her purple kite trailing behind her.
Clara walked up the wooden stairs to the deck and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
"Thank you, Mom," she whispered. "For everything."
May you like
I patted her hand, smiling as I watched my granddaughter play in the sun.
"No need to thank me, sweetheart," I replied, the coastal wind catching my hair. "That’s what the distress code is for. I will always answer the call."
