Chapter 186 Catherine’s POV

Chapter 186 Catherine’s POV
TWO DAYS LATER

The small federal courtroom in the downtown district was quiet. There were no flashing cameras, no gallery packed with spectators and no over the top headlines. It was the presence of cold stone walls, the judge's bench and the quiet tapping of the court stenographer keys.

I sat in the front row of the gallery, flanked by Agent Miller and two armed federal marshals, I wore a plain, tailored black suit, my hands rested calmly in my lap, a bit steady. Across the aisle, three defense attorneys who looked thoroughly defeated sat my ex husband, Micheal. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit, heavy steel shackles binding his wrists to a belly chain around his waist.

His posture remained rigid, his jaw set in that familiar arrogant grin that I despised so much but as his dark eyes flicked over to meet mine, the cold murderous scorn in his gaze didn't make me flinch anymore.

"In light of the overwhelming evidence," the judge declared, her voice echoing with authority through the room, "including cellular logs, forged transactions and sworn testimony from the primary contractor, this court finds a clear and present threat to national security and federal witnesses."

The judge leaned forward, looking down over her half-moon glasses directly at Micheal, "Micheal McAlister, for the charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder for hire, domestic terrorism and the attempted assassination of a federal witness,  you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Furthermore, under the Special Administrative Measure involved by the Department of Justice, you will serve those sentenced in solitary confinement at the ADX Mart Supermax facility."

A faint sharp gasp escaped Micheal's throat, the arrogant grin finally vanished, replaced by a sudden, violent flicker of genuine terror in his eyes. This meant absolute isolation from the outside world, twenty four hours a day in a concrete cell... punishment perfect for a literal monster.

"In addition," the judge continued, turning her gaze to the second table where Kenneth sat in heavy chains, "the defendant Kennerh is sentenced to forty years without parole for his role as the armed operative in this conspiracy."

With a sharp strike of her gavel, the sound echoed like a final door slamming shut forever, "court is adjourned."

The marshals immediately stepped forward, grabbing Micheal by his shoulders to carry him up as they turned him toward the side exit, his eyes locked onto mine one last time. There was no rage left in him, only the sudden realization that his empire control had been completely dismantled.

I watched him go until the heavy steel doors clicked shut behind him, sealing him away into the abyss. Agent Miller let out a long quiet breath beside me, adjusting his jacket, "it's over, Cathetine. The Bureau has finalized the asset seizures, Micheal's network is completely liquidated, he can no longer reach you anymore."

I stood up slowly, stepping out of the courtroom and into the bright, warm afternoon sunlight flooding the steps of the federal courthouse. The air was fresh and cool, I inhaled deeply, a small smile tugged on my lips, every breath I had taken before had felt constrained, heavy with the suffocating terror of my past.

The constant dried of being watched, and the suffocating guilt of my own choices, I exhaled deeply, feeling my lungs let go fully for what felt like the first time in my life. Then the dreadful image of Tyler popped up in my head ruining every bit of happiness I had left.

He was still fighting through a long recovery in the ICU, though this time, the doctors assured us the critical danger had finally passed but until he woke up, I still felt uneasy. Richard was still keeping his distance, working through the pieces of his trust and the horrifying truth of his father, "sometimes I wished his blood never flowed through my veins," I heard him muttering while we were still in the courtroom.

Summer came to me with a small smile on her face, I knew she was still recovering from the shock for the past few days, "I told Richard to go home and relax, and don't worry about the kids, they are currently at my mom's place for a while, so we're both free. I'm sure you will need company, a lot has happened and you need a shoulder to lay on," she patted my back softly leading me to her car.

I smiled softly, "thank you," she nodded, opening the door for me. She turned on the engine heading to God knows where, my hands on the steering wheel showed that she wanted to talk about something but didn't know how to start, "you want to ask about me and Tyler, right?"

She glanced at me a bit then faced the front nodding her head slightly, "I don't know how to say this but I understand you being in love after especially with what you've gone through but this is Richard's best friend we're talking about, should I say best friend or even brother? I know Tyler wouldn't really care about what people would say but what about you? Can your mental health actually carry it?"

I stared my hands for a while then stared back at the front of the car, "I... I don't even know. I don't know how I found myself falling in love with someone. I literally saw him grow," I scoffed hard then smiled, "maybe it's because he made me feel alive during the times of my desperation, he didn't look at me like I was broken but something more."

Summer suddenly parked then turned to face, linking my hands with hers, she had that wide smile that reassured me that things would be okay at the end of all the chaos, she breathed out softly, "I just want you to know that I will always have your back at the end, no matter whatever decisions you make, about Richard... just give him time, I'll talk to him or I'll smack him, he has to choose one."

We let out a soft laugh as she continued driving.