Chapter 5
Arraignment day came three weeks later.
I wore a simple black dress, my hair pulled back so the stitches—now removed, leaving a thin pale scar—were visible.
Mark walked next to me into the courthouse, his hand on my elbow, a silent reminder I wasn’t alone.
The courtroom was cold, the air smelling like old paper and lemon cleaner.
I sat in the front row, my hands folded in my lap, my back straight.
I didn’t look at the holding cell until the bailiff called the case.
Tyler was led out first, in an orange jumpsuit, his hands and feet in chains.
He’d lost weight, his face gaunt, his hair a mess.
He glared at me as he sat down, his mouth twisted into a snarl.
Karen came next, also in orange, her hair frizzy, her face streaked with tears.
She kept her head down, refusing to look at me.
Jenna came last, her jumpsuit too big for her, her eyes red-rimmed.
She looked straight at me, and for a second, I thought I saw regret.
Then she looked away.
The judge read the charges out loud, one by one.
Aggravated assault.
Conspiracy to commit theft.
Federal coercion of a protected trust asset.
Forgery.
Identity theft.
Fraud.
Probation violation.
27 felonies total, spread across all three of them.
Tyler’s lawyer asked for bail.
Said Tyler was a “family man,” a “hard worker,” that he’d never skip town.
The prosecutor stood up, her voice sharp.
“Your Honor, the defendant has a prior felony conviction for fraud. He’s facing a minimum of 15 years in prison if convicted. He has every incentive to flee. We request bail be denied.”
The judge nodded.
“Bail denied. Defendant will remain in custody pending trial.”
Tyler banged his fist on the table, screaming that it was unfair, that I’d set him up.
The bailiff grabbed his arm, pulled him back.
Next was Karen.
Her lawyer begged for leniency, said she was a “senior citizen,” that she’d been “manipulated” by Tyler.
Karen stood up, sobbing, pointing at Tyler.
“It was all him! He made me do it! He said if I didn’t help him get the condo, he’d never let me see my grandkids! I didn’t want to hurt anyone!”
I almost laughed.
Grandkids?
Tyler and I had never even talked about having kids.
She was making it up as she went.
The prosecutor stood up again, holding up the group chat transcripts.
“Your Honor, the defendant was the ringleader. These messages show she came up with the plan to steal the condo, she encouraged her son to assault the victim, she laughed after the attack. She is not a victim. She is a co-conspirator.”
The judge set Karen’s bail at $750,000.
“Cash only. If you can make bail, you’re under house arrest with GPS monitoring. No contact with any co-defendants, no contact with the victim.”
Karen collapsed into her chair, sobbing harder.
She didn’t have $750,000.
None of them did.
Last was Jenna.
Her lawyer stood up, his voice calm.
“Your Honor, my client is 22 years old. She has no prior record. She was a minor participant in this, following the lead of her mother and brother. She’s willing to cooperate with the prosecution, to testify against her co-defendants, in exchange for a reduced sentence.”
Jenna looked at me again, her eyes wet.
“I’m sorry,” she mouthed from across the room.
I didn’t react.
The judge set Jenna’s bail at $100,000, with the same conditions if she made it.
The bailiff led them all back to the holding cell.
Tyler screamed one last threat over his shoulder as he left.
“I’ll get you for this, Mia! You’ll pay!”
I didn’t flinch.
I just sat there, my back straight, until the courtroom was empty.
Mark squeezed my shoulder.
“You did good. Not a single crack. The judge and the jury—if it goes to trial—they’re gonna love you.”
I stood up, my legs a little wobbly, and walked out of the courthouse into the bright Arizona sun.
I took a deep breath, the warm air filling my lungs.
May you like
One step closer to it being over.
One step closer to being fully free.
