Chapter 7 - The Courage of a Child
I looked through the glass window into the next room, watching my seven-year-old daughter carefully coloring a picture of a giant sun over a bright green house.
"She saved my life tonight, Dad," I whispered, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. "If she hadn't run upstairs and dialed your number..."
"She inherited your courage, Emily," my father smiled softly, kissing my forehead. "And my stubbornness."
The door opened, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Jenkins walked in, carrying a thin blue folder.
"Mrs. Vance," Sarah said respectfully. "I just received an update from the holding facility. Ryan attempted to negotiate a plea deal by offering information on his co-conspirators."
"Did you take it?" I asked.
May you like
"No," Sarah replied firmly. "Given the clear evidence of physical domestic violence caught on your home security system, along with the overwhelming financial trail, the prosecution is seeking the absolute maximum sentence. He is facing up to twenty-five years in federal prison."
"Good," I said, feeling an enormous, suffocating weight finally lift off my shoulders. "Make sure he serves every single day."
