Chapter 8 - Evelyn’s Desperate Stand"This is a violation of my civil rights!" Evelyn screamed, jumping up from her chair, her hands slamming against the defense table. "That recording was taken illegally! It cannot be admitted as evidence!"
"Motion denied, Mrs. Ashford," the federal judge barked, his voice echoing through the chamber. "The recording is a direct confirmation of your criminal activity. Sit down and be quiet, or I will have you removed."
Evelyn looked around the courtroom, her eyes wild and frantic. Her lawyers were staring at their papers, refusing to meet her gaze. The reporters were typing frantically on their laptops, their cameras flashing as they captured her public humiliation.
"Daniel, please!" Evelyn screamed, looking at me in the gallery. "I am your mother! I raised you! You can't let them do this to me!"
I stood up slowly, looking her dead in the eye. "You ceased to be my mother the moment you stole my wife and my child, Evelyn. The only thing you raised was a monster."
The judge slammed his gavel down. "Based on the overwhelming evidence, including the defendant’s own recorded confession, the court finds Evelyn Ashford guilty on all counts of kidnapping, corporate fraud, and conspiracy to commit murder. She is sentenced to thirty years in a federal penitentiary with no possibility of parole."
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As the bailiffs stepped forward to escort her out, Evelyn let out a piercing, hysterical shriek, her orange jumpsuit dragging on the polished floor as she struggled against their grip.
I turned my back on her, wrapping my arm around Lena's waist as we walked out of the courtroom into the bright, clean afternoon sunlight. The shadow of her tyranny was finally gone.
