Chapter 9 - The Trial of the Century
The aftermath was a hurricane of media, legal battles, and federal investigations.
With Captain Miller dead and the ledger in the hands of the FBI, the Moretti crime syndicate was dismantled within months. Dozens of corrupt officials, police officers, and cartel members were arrested. The story dominated the news for half a year: The Northbrook Abandonment, The Ledger of Blood, The Heroic Sacrifice of Rachel Vance.
The four million dollars was seized by the federal government, but a special victim's fund, funded by the seized assets of the Moretti family, was established for Lily and Leo's future.
But the hardest battle wasn't against the mob or the corrupt cops. It was the battle in my own heart.
Every night, Lily would ask when Mommy was coming back. Every night, I had to hold her while she cried, telling her that her mother was a hero who had gone to a place where she couldn't be hurt anymore.
I officially filed for adoption. The court proceedings were grueling, with social workers examining every aspect of my life. They questioned if a single, traumatized aunt could raise two children who had witnessed the edge of hell.
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But I had Vance in my corner. She had retired from the police force, unable to look at the badge the same way, and stood as my character witness.
"Sarah Vance didn't ask for this life," Vance told the judge. "But when the storm came, she didn't run. She shielded those children with her own body. There is no better mother on this earth."
