Carefully unpinning her veil and leaving it on the table, Allison said she was sorry and walked out, needing to be alone. The legal process took six months. Leonard received a suspended sentence and heavy probation due to his age and lack of a prior record, but he was forced to pay massive restitution that cost him almost all of his assets.
Bill refused to keep the money for himself. He donated the millions he won in the settlement to the hospice center where Sarah had spent her final days. Allison and Mike’s marriage technically remained on paper, but a permanent wall had been built between them. Allison began spending her evenings at her father’s house, the two of them sharing tea in a comfortable, quiet routine.
One evening, she asked him if the revenge had actually made him feel better. Looking out at the streetlights, Bill admitted that revenge doesn’t heal you; it just closes a door that needed to be shut. He thought for a moment and then added that sometimes, just having that door closed is enough of a victory.
