The Sapphire Box

Six months later, the trial concluded in record time.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning a unanimous verdict on all counts: guilty of attempted murder, reckless endangerment, and fraud.

Judge Sterling didn't hesitate during sentencing.

"Mr. Ellis, you weaponized the trust of your family for financial gain, nearly murdering your own children in an attempt to eliminate your aunt and benefactor," Judge Sterling said from the bench, his voice echoing with absolute moral authority. "For these crimes against humanity and family, I sentence you to twenty-five years to life in the maximum-security correctional facility at Attica, with no possibility of parole for the first twenty years."

Nathan didn't speak. He didn't protest. He simply stared ahead at the courtroom wall as the guards clicked the handcuffs into place and led him out of the courtroom forever.

I didn't attend the sentencing. I stayed home, sitting by the living room window as the spring rain washed away the remnants of the winter snow.

My phone buzzed on the side table.

It was a text message from Emily: It’s over. He’s gone.

I looked down at the screen, letting out a long, shuddering breath that felt like releasing an anchor I had dragged behind me for thirty-seven years.

I wasn't Nathan’s mother. I never had been. I was his aunt, his guardian, and the woman who had loved him even when he didn't deserve it. But the mother he had tried to destroy had died the moment she read that toxicology report.