Chapter 5 - The Legal Battle Lines
The state line was drawn. Because of my position, a special independent prosecutor, Arthur Pendelton—a ruthless, no-nonsense veteran of the courts—was assigned to the case to avoid any conflict of interest. He visited me in the hospital, right after little Hope successfully made it through her first major cardiac procedure. She was stable, a tiny fighter surrounded by wires and monitors, but she was breathing.
"Maya, they're aiming for a plea deal," Arthur told me, sitting by my bedside. "Rose’s high-priced defense attorney—paid for by cashing in her retirement, ironically—is arguing for 'temporary insanity' due to family stress. They want aggravated assault dropped to simple battery, with probation."
"No," I said, my voice steady and cold as ice. "No deals. She knew about Hope’s heart condition. She knew that hitting an eight-month pregnant woman in the abdomen could kill both the mother and the child. This isn't just assault, Arthur. This is Attempted First-Degree Murder and Attempted Feticide. And Kyle is an accessory after the fact, plus tampering with evidence."
Arthur smiled grimly. "I hoped you'd say that. We go to the grand jury tomorrow."
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Meanwhile, the extended family—the aunts, uncles, and cousins who had happily stood by and watched Rose tyrannize me for years—began flooding my phone with messages. They went from blaming me to begging me. “She’s your mother, Maya! You can’t put her in prison! Think of the family shame!”
I blocked every single one of them. They hadn't cared about the "family shame" when my blood was pooling on the marble floor of the venue. They only cared now because the light of justice was shining into the dark corners they all inhabited. Ethan stood like a sentinel at my hospital door, ensuring no one from that toxic bloodline could get anywhere near me or our daughter.
