Chapter 10: The Verdict
They were sitting in a small park near their apartment when Sarah’s lawyer called. The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue. Lily was pushing Leo on the swings, her laughter ringing out across the grass. Sarah answered the phone, her breath caught in her throat. "Guilty," the lawyer said. "On all counts. He’s going away for a very long time." Sarah dropped the phone into her lap and exhaled a breath she felt she had been holding for nearly a year. Tears, hot and fast, spilled down her cheeks, but they were tears of profound relief. The chapter of their lives defined by him was officially closed. She walked over to the swings, wrapping her arms around both of her children from behind. "We won," she whispered into Lily’s hair. "It's really over."
