Chapter 8 - The Verdict of Fire
Judge Patricia Vance cleared her throat, her face set like stone as she leaned forward over her mahogany bench.
"In my twenty-five years on the bench," Judge Vance began, her voice ringing with powerful, terrifying authority, "I have rarely witnessed a display of domestic cruelty so devoid of basic human empathy, so utterly rotten to the core. A family that turns upon a pregnant woman, that celebrates her agony, that documents her torture for social media amusement—you are a stain upon this community."
She looked directly at Victor.
"Victor Miller, you are a coward. You used your physical strength to strike a defenseless woman carrying your child. You hid behind your parents, and when caught, you tried to blame your own sister."
Judge Vance picked up her pen, reading from the formal order.
"On Count One: Attempted First-Degree Murder—I sentence you, Victor Miller, to Twenty-Five Years in the State Maximum-Security Penitentiary, without the possibility of parole."
Victor let out a loud, pathetic wail, slamming his forehead against the wooden table.
"On Count Two: Aggravated Battery on a Pregnant Victim—An additional Ten Years, to run consecutively."
Thirty-five years. Victor would be nearly sixty years old when he saw the outside world again.
Judge Vance then turned her cold gaze toward Helena and Raul.
"Helena Miller, for your role as the instigator and conspirator in this torture, I sentence you to Fifteen Years in the State Women's Correctional Facility."
"No! My God, no!" Helena shrieked, clutching her chest as two female officers seized her arms.
"Raul Miller, for criminal facilitation and evidence tampering—Ten Years."
"And Nora Miller," Judge Vance concluded, looking down at the weeping young woman. "For aiding and abetting a violent felony and recording the act for public distribution—Seven Years in a medium-security facility."
CRACK.
The judge's gavel slammed down like a thunderbolt, sealing their fates forever.
"Bailiffs, remove the convicts," Judge Vance commanded.
The gallery erupted into cheers, camera flashes blinding the room as the four Millers were dragged away in chains, their pathetic wails echoing down the hallway until the heavy iron doors slammed shut, cutting them off from the world forever.
Evelyn Cross turned to me with a brilliant smile, handing me a final set of legal documents.
"All that's left is your signature, Maya," Evelyn said gently.
I picked up the pen. With a steady, unshakeable hand, I signed my name at the bottom of the decree:
Full Absolute Divorce. Complete Termination of All Parental Rights for Victor Miller. Restoration of Legal Maiden Name: Maya Mercer.
May you like
As I put the pen down, I felt a strong, energetic kick against my ribs. I smiled, resting my hand on my stomach, whispering softly to my unborn daughter.
"It's over, my love," I whispered. "We won."
