Chapter 9
The jury came back on a Friday afternoon.
The courtroom was silent.
So quiet you could hear a pin drop.
I held Elena's hand.
Both of us were trembling.
The foreman stood up.
He held the verdict form in his hand.
"On the count of kidnapping in the first degree..."
He paused.
"We find the defendant, Celeste Bennett, guilty."
Elena let out a breath she had been holding.
Tears streamed down her face.
"On the count of false imprisonment..."
"Guilty."
"On the count of child abuse..."
"Guilty."
"On the count of assault..."
"Guilty."
"On the count of attempted murder..."
He paused again.
I squeezed Elena's hand so tight I was afraid I might hurt her.
"We find the defendant, Celeste Bennett, guilty."
The courtroom erupted.
People cheered.
People cried.
Celeste sat stone-faced.
She showed no emotion.
No remorse.
Only cold, hard anger.
The judge set sentencing for four weeks later.
We left the courtroom.
Reporters surrounded us.
Microphones were thrust in our faces.
"Mr. Hale! Mrs. Hale! How does it feel?"
"Do you have any words for Celeste?"
"What happens now for your family?"
Detective Carter stepped in.
He escorted us through the crowd.
"No comment," he said repeatedly. "The family asks for privacy at this time."
We got into our car.
Elena leaned against me.
She was shaking.
"It's over," she whispered.
"For now," I said. "Sentencing is next."
"But she's guilty," she said. "She can't hurt us anymore."
I kissed the top of her head.
"That's right," I said. "She can't hurt us anymore."
We drove to my mother's house.
Ilaria was waiting.
She ran to us as soon as we walked in.
"Did the bad lady go away?" she asked.
Elena knelt down.
She looked Ilaria in the eyes.
"Yes, baby," she said. "The bad lady is gone. She can't hurt anyone ever again."
Ilaria threw her arms around Elena's neck.
"Good," she said. "Now we can be a family forever."
That night, we had dinner together.
My mother.
Elena.
Ilaria.
Me.
It was a simple meal.
Spaghetti and meatballs.
Ilaria's favorite.
But it tasted like victory.
Like freedom.
Like hope.
We laughed.
We talked.
We didn't mention Celeste.
We didn't mention the trial.
We just were.
May you like
A family.
For the first time in a long time, I felt like we could breathe again.
