Chapter 14 - The Final VerdictSix months after my return, the civil asset forfeiture case concluded in federal court. The judge ruled entirely in our favor, formally awarding the liquidated assets recovered from Gertrude and Prudence’s shell companies directly to Sarah and me as restitution for financial fraud and emotional damages.
Prudence had fled the state to live with distant relatives in Ohio who were barely scraping by, while Gertrude had relocated to a small, modest senior apartment complex across town—living in the exact kind of financial bracket she had so ruthlessly forced Sarah and Jamie to endure.
Marcus called me from his downtown office to deliver the final update. "It's official, Ethan. The judgments are filed, the accounts are locked, and the chapter is completely closed. They have legally zero recourse left."
"Thanks, Marcus," I said, looking out the massive glass window of my study toward the lawn where Jamie was chasing our golden retriever. "Close the file."
