Chapter 6 - The Shadows of Rikers
While Sophia was being celebrated under the sparkling lights of Paris, the reality inside the maximum-security wing of Rikers Island Prison in New York was cold, grey, and brutal.
Ethan Hayes sat on a concrete bench inside a twelve-by-eight cell.
His hair was buzzed short, his designer skin now pale and covered in bruises from frequent conflicts with other inmates. He wore a coarse orange jumpsuit and heavy canvas shoes.
His public defender—a tired man carrying a beat-up briefcase—sat on the opposite side of the scratched plastic divider in the visitation room.
"The plea offer is off the table, Ethan," the public defender said dryly, swiping through court documents. "The District Attorney, backed by the Romano legal team, is pushing for maximum sentencing. They have expert testimony, full video footage, and witness statements from your former household staff."
"You have to get me out!" Ethan rasped, his hands trembling as he grabbed the plastic partition. "I can't survive in here! The guys in my block know who my father-in-law is! They treat me like a punching bag every single day!"
"You should have thought about that before you broke Don Romano's daughter's leg," the lawyer replied coldly. "The judge set your trial date for next month. You are facing fifteen to twenty-five years for felony assault and kidnapping."
"What about Khloe?!" Ethan demanded, his voice cracking. "Is she helping with my legal defense?!"
The lawyer let out a short, humorless laugh. "Khloe Vance took a deal three weeks ago. She pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges, received three years of supervised probation, and agreed to testify as a key prosecution witness against you in exchange for immunity."
Ethan fell back against his seat, his mouth opening and closing in complete shock. "She... she’s testifying against me?"
"She swore an affidavit stating that you forced her into the affair and that you attacked your wife in an unprovoked rage," the lawyer said, closing his folder. "You're completely on your own, Ethan."
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The guard knocked on the heavy steel door. "Visitation time is over, inmate."
As Ethan was pulled back toward his cold cell, the heavy iron gate slammed shut with a deafening, metallic crash—a sound that echoed through his head, sounding eerily identical to the cellar door he had locked on Sophia months ago.
