Prank Gone Wrong Chapter 17

Prank Gone Wrong Chapter 17

The jury came back in seven days. Unanimous.

“Defendant Harper Sinclair. Guilty. First-Degree Aggravated Assault. Sentenced to seven years in state prison. No parole.”

The gavel hit. Harper shattered.

She screamed. She fought the bailiffs. “No! You can’t do this! I’m going to Stanford! Daddy, save me!”

The cold click of handcuffs ended her socialite life.

“Defendant Connor Brooks. Guilty. Unlawful confinement. Conspiracy charges. Sentenced to three years. Five years probation. Civil liability joint damages of five million dollars.”

Connor didn’t move.

He stared at me. Empty. A dead thing.

It was over.

I walked out the courthouse doors. Chicago winter wind hit my face.

For the first time in almost a year, I could breathe.

Justice is expensive. But it showed up.

David pulled the wheelchair to the car. “Home, Maya?”

“Home.”

After the verdict, the civil settlement money came through. We left Illinois. Moved west. Seattle.

It rains all the time there. Good for hiding scars. No one knew my name.

I used the settlement money for the best facial reconstruction surgeons in the country.

Some scars never faded. Faint lines. My right leg still aches when it rains. But I look human again.

I didn’t go back to physics.

I applied to the University of Washington. Psychology. Pre-law.

I wanted to understand the dark places in human minds. And I wanted to arm people like the girl I used to be. The ones too scared to fight back.

Time is a terrible doctor. It doesn’t heal anything. It just teaches you to live with the pain.

I learned to carry my scars. I kept walking.