Chapter 8
Tyler held out until the last possible minute.
He fired his lawyer three times, hired and fired two more, tried to file motions to dismiss the case on his own, all of which the judge threw out immediately.
The day before jury selection was supposed to start, he finally caved.
He took the plea deal.
16 years total.
Seven for federal coercion.
Seven for aggravated assault.
Two for his probation violation.
All consecutive, no parole.
Plus the extra three years for the threats he’d made over the phone, running concurrent, so no extra time, but the judge made it clear it was on his record forever.
He’d be in his late 50s when he got out.
Sentencing day was two weeks later.
I wore the same black dress I’d worn to arraignment, the scar on my forehead still pale pink, visible if you looked close.
The courtroom was fuller this time.
A few reporters from local papers, sitting in the back.
Mark and Mrs. Lopez, sitting on either side of me, holding my hands.
Lila, at the table next to me, her notes neat in front of her.
Tyler was led in first, even thinner than before, his eyes dead.
He didn’t look at me this time.
He just stared at his hands, chained to the table.
Karen came next, her face blank, her eyes red.
She didn’t look at anyone.
Jenna came last, in regular clothes now, her hair cut short, a small tattoo of a semicolon on her wrist.
She stood at the front with her lawyer, her back straight, waiting for her sentence to be finalized.
The judge let each of them make a statement before he handed down the sentences.
Karen went first.
She stood up, her voice shaking.
“I’m sorry. I was greedy. I wanted a house I didn’t work for. I let my greed hurt a girl who never did anything to me. I deserve whatever I get.”
She sat down, sobbing.
Jenna went next.
She looked straight at me as she spoke.
“I’m sorry, Mia. I was weak. I did what my mom and brother told me to do because I was scared of them, scared of being left out. That’s no excuse. I let you get hurt. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to people like you. I’ll never be that girl again.”
She sat down, her face wet.
Tyler went last.
He stood up, his voice flat, no emotion at all.
“I don’t have anything to say.”
He sat back down.
The judge looked at me, his voice soft.
“Ms. Reed, would you like to make a victim impact statement?”
I stood up, my hands folded in front of me, my voice steady.
I didn’t yell.
I didn’t cry.
I just told the truth.
“For six years, I let these people tell me I was selfish, ungrateful, stupid. I let them isolate me from everyone who loved me. I gave up my job, my hobbies, my friends, because they told me that’s what a good wife did. On the night of the attack, I thought I was going to die. Not because the plate hit me that hard. But because for a second, I believed them. I believed I deserved it.”
I paused, looking straight at Tyler.
“I don’t believe that anymore. I am not selfish. I am not ungrateful. I am a woman who fought back. Who took her life back. Who will never let anyone hurt her like that again. These people didn’t just try to steal a house. They tried to steal me. And they failed.”
I sat down.
Mark squeezed my hand.
Mrs. Lopez wiped a tear off her cheek.
The judge put his glasses on, his voice firm.
“Mr. Carter, you are sentenced to 16 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, no parole. Ms. Carter, you are sentenced to eight years. Ms. Carter, you are sentenced to three years probation, with the terms we discussed. None of you will ever contact Ms. Reed again, directly or indirectly, for the rest of your lives. If you do, you will be back in this courtroom facing more time. Court adjourned.”
The bailiffs led them away.
Tyler didn’t look back.
Karen didn’t either.
Jenna looked at me one last time, gave me a small, sad nod, and walked out.
I sat there for a minute, letting it sink in.
It was over.
Really over.
Lila hugged me, Mark hugged me, Mrs. Lopez hugged me so tight I could barely breathe.
We walked out of the courthouse together, the sun warm on our faces.
May you like
I didn’t look back.
Not even once.
