Chapter 8 - The Ultimatum
Following the hearing, the prosecution offered no quarter. With the audio evidence airtight and the financial ledgers revealing systematic patterns of abuse and coercion, Richard’s defense team began scrambling to negotiate a plea deal to avoid a maximum prison sentence.
Sarah Lin called me into her office late that afternoon to review the proposed terms.
"They're offering a plea," Sarah said, sliding a thick stack of papers across her desk. "Richard pleads guilty to second-degree felony domestic assault and unlawful restraint. In exchange, the prosecution will drop the conspiracy charge against him, resulting in a sentence of five to eight years in state prison."
I traced my fingers along the edge of the desk. "What about Eleanor?"
"Eleanor’s defense is trying to pin the physical instigation entirely on her age and cognitive decline—an absolute farce, but her lawyers are grasping at straws," Sarah explained. "However, the more important part of this settlement is the civil forfeiture and divorce decree."
Sarah turned a page to reveal the financial settlement terms.
"Because of the evidence we pulled from his study and the ironclad nature of your testimony, we are securing full ownership of the Sterling estate, absolute custody rights to your unborn child, and a multi-million-dollar compensatory settlement drawn directly from their corporate reserves before the state seizes them."
"I don't want their empire," I said quietly, looking out the window at the bustling city streets below. "I just want safety. I want freedom. I want to ensure that my child never has to know the sound of their voices or the shadow of their cruelty."
"You'll have all of that," Sarah assured me gently. "And more."
Later that evening, Richard’s lawyer arranged a brief, supervised phone call between Richard and me. I picked up the receiver in Sarah's conference room, listening to the heavy, broken breathing on the other end of the line.
"Clara," Richard’s voice cracked, stripped of all its former arrogance, sounding small and pathetic. "Please... you have to listen to me. We can fix this. Drop the charges, sign the divorce papers quietly, let's settle this out of court. If I go to prison, my life—our family name—is completely destroyed."
I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering the wood grain inches from my face, the weight of his body pressing me down, and the cold indifference in his voice when his mother ordered me to rub chili powder into my wounds.
"Our family name?" I asked softly, a bitter smile touching my lips. "Richard, you spent years convincing me that no one would ever believe me. You thought the gates of your estate made you a god."
I paused, gripping the phone tighter.
May you like
"You didn't know about the truck parked outside," I continued. "You didn't know the camera heard everything. And now, every single consequence you thought you were immune to is coming for you."
I hung up the phone without waiting for his reply.
