But she didn’t listen. Tears streamed down her face as she spoke.
“I was having an affair with Victor Collins,” she began, and a dead silence fell over the courtroom. “We were together for three years. He promised he would leave his wife. He promised we would be together. But to do that, he said he needed money for the divorce, for a new life.”
“Shut up right now!” Victor Collins yelled, jumping to his feet.
“He came up with the scheme,” Veronica continued, ignoring him. “He would hire new assistants. I would make them sign the documents, and we would transfer the money. Then we’d fire them, accusing them of theft. Victor would collect the insurance, and the money would end up in our accounts.”
“That’s a lie!” the director screamed. “She’s lying about everything!”
“I was an idiot!” Veronica sobbed. “I actually believed him. I thought he loved me. I even framed Sarah, even though she was completely innocent. I’m so sorry!”
The judge banged her gavel, calling for order. Victor Collins was forced back into his seat by his lawyer and a bailiff.
The trial continued for another two hours. Kevin presented additional evidence: phone records, bank statements showing a link between Victor’s and Veronica’s accounts.
When the judge recessed to deliberate, Sarah sat with her hands clenched in her lap.
“It’s going to be okay,” her friend whispered. “Did you hear Veronica? She confessed.”
“But what if the judge doesn’t believe her?”
“She’ll believe her,” Kevin said confidently, joining them. “There’s more than enough evidence. You’ve won.”
The judge returned an hour later. She read the verdict in a clear, official tone:
“The court finds the defendant, Sarah Lawson, not guilty of the charges brought against her. All conditions of her release are hereby terminated. The court orders a criminal investigation to be opened into Victor Collins and Veronica Samuels on charges of fraud and grand larceny.”
It took a moment for Sarah to process what had happened. Then Natalie threw her arms around her, and she burst into tears—tears of relief, of exhaustion, of joy.
They left the courthouse together. It was a cold December evening, and snow was falling.
“Friend, promise me, no more courtrooms,” Natalie smiled through her own tears, hugging Sarah. “You’re becoming a regular here.”
“I promise,” Sarah laughed and cried at the same time. “I promise. And thank you for everything. If it weren’t for you…”
“You know Kevin would do anything for me,” Natalie nodded toward the lawyer, who was standing by his car, talking on the phone.
“I don’t know how to thank you both,” Sarah said, looking at Kevin. “You saved my life.”
“You saved your own life,” he said, walking over to them. “When you decided to use that recorder. That was your intuition, your caution. I just used the evidence you gave me.”
They stood together for a few more moments before parting ways. Sarah got into Natalie’s car, and they headed home.
“So what’s next?” her friend asked on the way.
“I don’t know,” Sarah said, watching the snow fall outside the window. “Look for a job. Start over. Again.”
“You’ll be fine,” Natalie put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re strong. You went through two trials and you didn’t break.”
Sarah nodded. No, she hadn’t broken. But something inside her had changed. She would no longer blindly trust people. She would no longer be naive. She would never again let anyone use her. She had to start her life over. For the third time in a year. But this time, she was ready.
Comments are closed.