Chapter 8
The sentencing was emotional.
Mark stood before the judge, his head down.
His lawyer begged for leniency. He talked about Mark's clean record before this. About his children. About his potential for rehabilitation.
The prosecution asked for the maximum sentence.
They talked about the betrayal of trust. The damage done to the company. The lives destroyed.
They talked about me. About the assault. About the trauma Mark had caused.
They talked about Lisa. About how Mark had manipulated her and stolen from her.
They talked about the children. About how Mark's actions had torn their family apart.
The judge listened carefully.
When it was time for Mark to speak, he looked at me.
"I'm sorry," he said. His voice was hoarse. "I'm sorry for everything. For the embezzlement. For the fraud. For the assault. For the affair. I'm sorry to my wife. To my children. To Lisa. To everyone I hurt."
He paused.
"I don't expect forgiveness," he said. "I don't deserve it. But I needed to say it. I'm sorry."
He looked at the judge.
"I accept whatever sentence you give me," he said. "I know I deserve it."
The judge nodded.
She delivered her sentence.
Twelve years in prison.
With no chance of parole for eight years.
Mark was led away.
He didn't look back.
It was over.
The criminal part, anyway.
The divorce was finalized a month later.
I got everything.
The house.
The cars.
The savings.
Full custody of the children.
Substantial spousal and child support.
Mark had nothing.
His assets were frozen. Most of his money was going to repay the company he had embezzled from.
Lisa got a settlement too.
Mark had to repay her the two hundred thousand dollars, plus interest and damages.
He would be paying for what he had done for the rest of his life.
And when he got out of prison, he would be a convicted felon. He would have no job. No money. No reputation.
He had lost everything.
And I... I had gained everything.
Freedom.
Independence.
My self-respect.
A new life.
That night, we celebrated.
Lisa came over.
My friends came over.
Mark's family came over.
We ate. We drank. We laughed.
We celebrated the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
Emma and Ethan ran around, playing with their cousins, happy and carefree.
They didn't fully understand what had happened. But they knew things were better. They knew their mom was happy. They knew they were safe.
That was all that mattered.
Lisa pulled me aside later.
"What are you going to do now?" she asked.
I looked at my children. At my friends. At the life I was building.
"I'm going to live," I said. "Really live. For the first time in a long time."
Lisa smiled.
"Good," she said. "You deserve it."
She paused.
"And I was thinking," she said. "Now that the trial is over, now that everything is settled... maybe we should do something. Just the two of us. Go on a trip. Get away for a while."
I looked at her.
A trip.
Just the two of us.
The idea appealed to me more than I could say.
"I'd like that," I said. "Where would we go?"
Lisa grinned.
"Anywhere you want," she said. "The beach. The mountains. Europe. Whatever you want."
I thought about it.
I thought about the beach. Warm sand. Blue water. Sun.
"The beach," I said.
"The beach it is," Lisa said.
We started planning.
And for the first time in years, I had something to look forward to.
Something that was just for me.
Something that was about joy and freedom and friendship.
May you like
Something that was about living.
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