Chapter 8 - The Empire Reclaimed
The hearing didn't end with a divorce decree.
It ended with the judge suspending all proceedings and immediately calling the District Attorney's office.
Jason didn't get to walk out of the courthouse as a free man.
Because of the newly revealed evidence of fraud, forgery, and domestic battery, he was taken into police custody right there in the hallway.
I watched as they put the handcuffs on him.
He didn't look at me this time. He just stared at the floor, a broken, pathetic man.
Madison was fired the next morning and is currently facing a mountain of civil lawsuits, though she turned state's witness against Jason to avoid jail time.
Within a week, the narrative in the press flipped.
I wasn't the crazy, overworked wife anymore.
I was the CEO who took down a corporate parasite.
I walked back into my company headquarters a month later.
The lobby was completely silent as I walked through the glass doors.
Then, my lead developer started clapping.
Soon, the entire floor was giving me a standing ovation.
I took my seat at the head of the boardroom table.
Jason's empty chair had already been removed.
Daniel called me later that evening.
"Just got word from the DA. Jason took a plea deal. Five years in state prison for the fraud alone. The assault charges are still pending."
"Thank you, Daniel," I said, looking out my office window at the city skyline.
"You did the hard part, Sarah. You survived."
I hung up the phone and poured myself a glass of expensive wine.
I looked at my reflection in the window.
The scars on my arms were still there. They would always be there.
But I didn't hide them anymore.
They weren't symbols of my weakness.
May you like
They were the receipts of the price I paid for my freedom.
And I owned every single one of them.
