Chapter 5 - The ReckoningThe trial of Derek Vance became a public spectacle in the Miami legal circuit.
With the overwhelming evidence provided by the emergency room medical report, the police photos, and the digital records of his attempted fraud, Derek’s legal team had no defense left.
During the sentencing hearing, Suzanne tried to take the stand to defend her brother, but under harsh cross-examination by Skylar’s attorney, she broke down and admitted that Derek had routinely stolen money from Skylar’s personal accounts to fund their family's lifestyle.
The judge’s verdict was swift and unyielding.
For the charges of felony battery, corporate fraud, and court violations, Derek was sentenced to four years in state prison, along with a mandatory restitution order requiring him to pay back every dollar he had funneled out of Skylar’s accounts over the years.
Suzanne, stripped of her brother's financial support and facing public shame, was forced to take two low-paying retail jobs to pay off the massive credit card debts she had accumulated in her own name.
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As Derek was led away in orange scrubs and heavy chains, he glanced back one last time.
Skylar was sitting in the front row of the gallery. She looked calm, poised, and utterly free. She didn't feel hatred toward him anymore; he had become nothing more than a closed chapter in a book she had long since moved past.
