Chapter 7 - The Final Verdict
Six months later, the Dallas County Courthouse was a circus of media reporters and flashing cameras.
I walked up the marble steps wearing a tailored white suit, my head held high. I was no longer the timid, faded wife. I was Emily Sterling, the newly appointed CEO of the Sterling Charitable Foundation.
Inside the courtroom, Preston and Savannah sat at opposite ends of the defense table. The "perfect couple" had turned on each other the moment the ship started sinking.
Savannah’s lawyer tried to argue that Preston had manipulated her into attacking me, claiming she was emotionally abused and brainwashed. Preston’s lawyer argued that Savannah was a gold-digger who acted violently on her own accord, and that Preston was merely a victim of her erratic behavior.
It didn't matter. The jury saw right through both of them.
When it was my turn to testify, I took the stand with absolute calm. I didn't cry. I didn't raise my voice. I simply stated the facts. I told the court about the emotional abuse, the financial control, the embezzlement of charity funds intended for sick children, and the physical assault in the hospital hallway.
Preston couldn't even look me in the eye. He stared at his handcuffs, a broken, defeated man.
The judge, a stern woman with zero tolerance for white-collar crime and domestic abuse, delivered the sentences without mercy.
Savannah Reed was found guilty of aggravated assault. Because her victim was heavily pregnant, the judge gave her the maximum sentence: five years in a state penitentiary. As the bailiffs dragged her away, she screamed and sobbed, her glamorous facade completely destroyed.
Preston Hartwell was found guilty of grand larceny, corporate fraud, and embezzlement. The judge sentenced him to twelve years in federal prison, and ordered the total liquidation of his remaining assets to pay restitution to the charities he had stolen from.
As Preston stood up to be escorted out, he finally looked at me.
“Emily,” he mouthed, his eyes begging for a sliver of the forgiveness I used to give him so freely.
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I didn't smile. I didn't frown. I simply looked right through him, turned my back, and walked out of the courtroom. The chapter of my life containing Preston Hartwell was officially closed forever.
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