Chapter 9 - The Courtroom Showdown
The final divorce decree and criminal sentencing happened in the same week.
I sat in the front row of the courtroom, wearing a sharp navy suit, feeling completely unshakable.
Julian stood before the judge in a drab prison uniform. The arrogance that had once defined his every movement was entirely gone. He looked aged, hollow, and utterly broken.
The judge looked down at the paperwork.
"Julian Vance," the judge said, his voice echoing loudly. "You struck your wife while she was trying to save your daughter's life. You embezzled millions from vulnerable clients. You possess a profound lack of morality. On the charges of domestic battery, wire fraud, and grand larceny, you are sentenced to twelve years in federal prison."
Julian closed his eyes, tears leaking down his face.
Beatrice, who had been tried separately, had received an eight-year sentence. Her beloved country club had completely disowned her, and the IRS had seized her estate to pay back the victims.
Julian turned his head to look at me as the bailiffs approached him.
May you like
"Claire... please," he mouthed silently, a pathetic plea for a woman who no longer existed.
I didn't flinch. I didn't smile. I just turned my back and walked out of the courtroom, leaving him in the past where he belonged.
