“It’s completely finished,” I replied.
Through Arthur Vance’s relentless legal prosecution, the state had seized all assets connected to my mother and brother. The newly renovated house was placed up for court auction, and the proceeds—along with the liquid assets from Godfrey’s auto repair shop and his seized SUV—were returned to us as restitution for the $114,000 they had stolen.
Godfrey had pled guilty to grand larceny and conspiracy and received a six-year sentence in a state penitentiary.
My mother, Selina, had attempted to fight the charges in court, claiming she was mentally unfit. The jury took less than forty-five minutes to find her guilty on all counts of felony dependent abuse, wire fraud, and grand theft. The judge sentenced her to twelve years without the possibility of early parole, citing her “utter lack of human empathy and cold-blooded cruelty toward a dying family member.”
They were serving their sentences in separate state facilities. I had placed a permanent restraining order against both of them and blocked every avenue of communication. As far as Phoebe and I were concerned, they no longer existed.
We took the restitution money, combined it with my remaining savings from Germany, and moved three states away to start over completely. I accepted a position as a senior operations manager at a local green-energy manufacturing plant, working normal eight-hour shifts and coming home every evening by 5:30 PM.
Phoebe took a long, deep breath of the crisp mountain air and closed her eyes as the warm sunlight touched her face.
“It’s so quiet here, Damian,” she whispered peacefully.
“No more nightmares, baby,” I promised, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her close against my chest. “No more fear. Just us.”
She leaned up and kissed me—a long, tender kiss carrying all the weight of our shared pain, our survival, and the bright, endless future ahead.
Beneath the clear blue sky, surrounded by the peaceful beauty of our new home, we held each other tightly, knowing that love, truth, and justice had finally won.
