Chapter 13 - Vivian's Sentencing
Vivian wore gray again.
I hated that color now.
The courtroom was smaller than the one in my memory. Maybe because I was older. Maybe because I knew what to expect. Dad sat on one side of me. Sarah sat on the other. Lily stayed with Claire in the hallway because Dad said she was too young to hear some of it.
I was not sure I was old enough either. But Sarah said I could decide.
I decided to stay.
Vivian's lawyer talked a lot. He said she was a respected businesswoman. He said she had made mistakes. He said she had family who depended on her.
Ms. Romero stood up after him.
"Your Honor," she said, "Vivian Vance did not make a mistake. She made a plan. She stole a mother from her child. She stole a childhood from a boy. She tried to steal two more children from their father. She did it for money and control. And she has never once said she was sorry."
Vivian looked straight ahead.
The judge asked if she wanted to speak.
Vivian stood.
"I regret that things got out of hand."
That was all.
Sarah made a sound beside me. Not a cry. Something deeper.
The judge asked Sarah to read her victim statement.
Sarah stood.
She held a piece of paper, but she did not look at it.
"My name is Sarah Miller," she said. "Seven years ago, I was a mother. I had a son. I had a husband. I had a life. Vivian Vance took all of it because she wanted what my family had."
Her voice shook, but she kept going.
"I missed my son's first day of school. I missed his lost teeth. I missed his birthdays. I missed the years when he needed me most."
She looked at me.
"I am back now. But I can never get those years back. Ethan can never get them back."
Vivian's lawyer objected to something. The judge overruled.
Sarah continued.
"I am not asking for revenge. I am asking the court to make sure she never does this to another family."
She sat down.
Dad reached across me and took her hand.
The judge sentenced Vivian to twenty-two years. Paul got fifteen. Amanda's sentence would be decided later, after her cooperation was fully evaluated.
When the judge said the number, Vivian did not flinch. That scared me more than if she had screamed.
Outside, Lily ran to us.
"Was she bad?"
Dad picked her up.
"She was found guilty."
Lily nodded.
"Good."
We went to breakfast. Pancakes. Strawberry syrup. Lily drew a picture of our family on the back of a menu.
Dad, Sarah, me, Lily, and Claire. And a small blue bird in the corner.
"What's that?" I asked.
Lily shrugged.
"A bird that got out of a cage."
May you like
Sarah looked at the drawing for a long time.
Then she smiled.
