Chapter 4 — Justice Doesn't End at an Arrest
Three months later...
The courtroom was silent.
The prosecution played every angle of the security footage.
Every juror watched Preston plant the phone.
Every juror watched him attack Sophie.
Defense attorneys argued he had acted emotionally.
The evidence left no room for doubt.
The verdict arrived after less than two hours.
Guilty.
On every major charge.
Assaulting a child.
Filing a false accusation.
Tampering with evidence.
Preston lowered his head as the sentence was read.
Across the courtroom...
Margaret and Richard sat together.
Older.
Smaller.
Neither could meet Evelyn's eyes.
Outside the courthouse...
Reporters surrounded Evelyn.
She answered only one question.
"What matters most now?"
She looked toward Sophie, whose forehead had healed, leaving only a faint scar hidden beneath her blonde hair.
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"My daughter doesn't need revenge."
"She needed someone who finally believed her."
