Chapter 11 - The Trial of the Century
Nine months later, I sat in the front row of the courtroom.
My beautiful daughter, Maya, was at home with the nanny.
She was healthy, safe, and completely unaware of the monsters she shared DNA with.
Ryan and Grant sat at the defense table in matching orange jumpsuits.
They had spent the last nine months in county jail, unable to afford the new, massive bail.
Diane had taken a plea deal for her role in the wire fraud.
She got three years of probation in exchange for testifying against her husband.
Brooke was nowhere to be found. She had vanished with the fifty thousand dollars.
The trial lasted four days, but it was essentially over on the second.
The prosecutor played the 4K security footage of the assault on the courtroom monitors.
The jury gasped in unison when Grant pressed the cigarette into my skin.
They winced when Ryan held me down.
Then, the prosecutor played the audio from the parking garage wiretap.
Ryan's voice echoed through the silent room.
Dad just wanted to teach you a lesson. To put you in your place.
I watched the jury’s faces harden with disgust.
When Sarah cross-examined Ryan, he fell apart on the stand.
He tried to blame his father for the theft, and his father tried to blame him.
It was pathetic watching them turn on each other like starving rats.
Before closing arguments, Ryan's lawyer requested a recess.
They knew they were going to lose.
The defense offered a guilty plea if we took a reduced sentence.
"No," I told the prosecutor firmly.
"I want the maximum penalty."
The jury deliberated for less than two hours.
When the foreman stood up to read the verdict, the room was dead silent.
"On the charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon... Guilty."
"On the charge of felony wire fraud... Guilty."
"On the charge of conspiracy to commit fraud... Guilty."
Grant slumped in his chair, putting his head in his hands.
Ryan turned to look at me, tears streaming down his face.
"Claire, please," he mouthed.
May you like
I stood up, smoothed out my skirt, and walked out of the courtroom before the judge even dismissed the jury.
I had nothing left to say to them.
