Kiara absorbed that.
Outside, somewhere in the distance, a car alarm chirped. Life moved on.
Inside, something else was growing.
Not just in the soil.
But in the space where fear used to live unchallenged.
Three weeks before trial, Derek requested a meeting with the prosecution.
Ridley’s tone shifted.
Suddenly, there was talk of negotiation.
Of plea agreements.
Of minimizing trauma for the victim.
Lauren wasn’t in the courtroom when the deal was finalized.
Kiara was.
The terms were clear: guilty plea to aggravated assault, coercive control, and attempted homicide. Full admission entered into record. No contest to the protective order. Sentencing left to the judge.
When Derek stood and said the word “guilty,” it did not sound like defeat.
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