Chapter 9 - The Sentencing
The jury deliberated for exactly forty-five minutes.
Guilty on all charges.
When the verdict was read, Derek collapsed, putting his head on the table and weeping loudly. Chloe just stood there, completely frozen, staring into space as if she couldn't comprehend that her actions finally had consequences.
The sentencing phase was swift and merciless.
Derek was sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison for conspiracy, fraud, and elder abuse.
Chloe, identified as the mastermind of the operation who directly facilitated the medical abuse of her father, was sentenced to twenty-five years without the possibility of early parole.
As the bailiff approached to put the handcuffs on her, Chloe turned around and looked at me one last time.
"Mom," she whispered, her eyes wide with terror as the cold steel clicked around her wrists. "Please."
I stood up, smoothing the wrinkles from my skirt. I looked at the daughter who had traded her soul for a mansion she would never sleep in again.
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"Goodbye, Chloe," I said, my voice steady and resolute.
I turned and walked out of the courtroom, the heavy wooden doors closing behind me, shutting out the sound of her frantic, desperate sobbing.
