Chapter 8
Sentencing day came a month later.
Ethan stood before the judge, his hands cuffed in front of him, his face still blank.
The judge called his actions “evil, calculated, and a betrayal of the worst kind. You tried to kill your own brother’s wife and unborn child, all to steal money to pay off your mother’s gambling debts. You showed no remorse, no regret, no humanity. You are a danger to society, and you will be treated as such.”
He sentenced Ethan to 25 years in state prison, no possibility of parole for 20 years.
Ethan didn’t flinch. He just turned and walked out of the courtroom, never looking back.
Mom was next.
The judge looked at her, his face stern. “You made a series of terrible, selfish choices that almost cost two innocent people their lives. But you took responsibility. You testified against your own son. You’ve shown genuine remorse, and you’ve committed to getting the help you need. This court believes in second chances—but only if you earn them.”
He sentenced her to five years probation, two years inpatient gambling addiction treatment, 2,000 hours of community service working with domestic violence victims, and a permanent restraining order: she could not come within 1,000 feet of Elena, Liam, or me until she completed treatment and a panel of three therapists deemed her no threat to our family.
After the hearing, I sold the house I’d paid off for Mom. The $280,000 from the sale went to pay back the remaining embezzled money to the company, pay off the loan shark in full, and the rest into a college fund for Liam.
I quit my overseas job. Took a promotion as regional manager of the company’s Dallas office—no more travel, home every night by 6, no more missing birthdays or first steps or late-night feedings.
We bought a small, yellow house with a big backyard in a quiet suburb 45 minutes outside the city. No one we knew lived there. No memories of Mom or Ethan or the coffin. Just a fresh start.
We moved in on Liam’s three-month birthday.
That night, we sat on the back porch, Liam asleep in his bassinet, Elena leaning her head on my shoulder, watching fireflies blink in the dark.
“Can you believe it?” she said, soft. “We have a house. We have a son. We’re actually happy.”
May you like
I kissed the top of her head, wrapping my arm tighter around her. “I can. We earned it. Every second of it.”
For the first time in my life, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
