Six months later, the high-arched windows of the city supreme court cast long shadows across the crowded courtroom.
Victoria sat at the defense table in a gray prison jumpsuit, her hair unstyled and her face pale as her high-priced defense attorney leaned in to whisper to her.
Lawyer: The forensic reports came back positive for digitalis in the milk cup, Victoria. We have zero leverage here.
Victoria: Can't you claim the maid planted it?! She had access to the kitchen!
Lawyer: The black box recording has your own voice outlining the exact dosage to kill a child under fifty pounds. If we go to trial, you’re looking at life without parole.
Victoria: Then negotiate a plea! I can't stay in that awful cell another day!
Across the courtroom, Richard sat in the front row, his dark suit crisp, holding Nora’s hand as the judge took the bench.
Judge Thompson: We are here for the sentencing in the case of the State versus Victoria Vance. Has the defense reached an agreement with the prosecution?
Prosecutor: Yes, Your Honor. The defendant has agreed to plead guilty to attempted murder of a minor, attempted grand fraud, and illegal possession of controlled substances.
Judge Thompson: Does the defendant understand that this plea waives all rights to appeal?
Victoria: Yes... Your Honor.
Judge Thompson: Before I hand down the sentence, I will allow a statement from the victim's family. Mr. Vance?
Richard stood up smoothly, adjusting his buttoned coat as he stepped up to the podium, looking directly into Victoria's tear-filled eyes.
Richard: Six months ago, I thought I had built a safe home for my son. I brought a woman into our lives who pretended to love us, but behind closed doors, she was calculating how to end my toddler’s life for a bank account.
Victoria: Richard, please...
Richard: Silence! You showed no mercy to a little boy who couldn't even speak up for himself. You stripped away his safety, his health, and his trust.
Judge Thompson: Let him finish, Ms. Vance.
Richard: If it weren't for the courage of Nora, my son might not be alive today. Victoria Vance deserves the absolute maximum sentence allowed by law, without a single day of leniency.
Richard stepped back to his seat, sitting down next to Nora and giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
Judge Thompson: Victoria Vance, your actions were cold, calculated, and entirely void of human compassion. You targeted a helpless child for personal financial gain.
Victoria: I was desperate, Your Honor!
Judge Thompson: You were greedy. I sentence you to thirty-five years in state prison, with no possibility of parole for the first twenty-five years. Furthermore, a permanent order of protection is issued for Toby Vance and Richard Vance.
The gavel struck the wooden block with a loud, final crack that echoed through the marble courtroom.
Victoria: No! Thirty-five years?! You can't do this to me! Richard! Help me!
Two bailiffs grabbed her by her arms, dragging her screaming through the side exit door as the gallery broke into quiet murmurs.
Nora: It’s finally over, Mr. Vance. She’s never going to hurt Toby again.
Richard: It’s over, Nora. And now we can finally rebuild our lives in peace.
Nora: What about the estate? Are you going to sell it?
Richard: No. That house is going to become a real home now. Starting today.