Chapter 198 Epilogue Two: Trials and Judgements (Silas and Jason Thorne).

Chapter 198 Epilogue Two: Trials and Judgements (Silas and Jason Thorne).
Epilogue Two: Trials and Judgements (Silas and Jason Thorne).

Elise sat quietly on the witness stand; her hands folded tightly in her lap. She had just finished giving a tearful testimony for the prosecution—against her own husband, Silas Thorne. The courtroom was silent, heavy with the weight of what had already been said.

As Elise steadied her breathing, Assistant District Attorney Crystal James approached the stand.

“I know this has been incredibly difficult for you, Mrs. Thorne,”

Crystal said gently.

“But I have one more question.”

Elise lifted her head. Her eyes were bloodshot, swollen from tears, but clear.

“Did your husband—the defendant, Silas Thorne—order the murder of Patrick Cleese?”

The question seemed to echo through the courtroom.

Elise hesitated.

Her gaze flicked to Silas. He stared back at her, his expression cold, his glare sharp enough to cut. For a brief moment, fear tightened her chest. Then she turned her head toward Mason. He sat rigidly in his seat, his face stoic, his jaw clenched.

Since the arrests, Mason had done everything he could to hold Thorne Enterprises together. It hadn’t been enough. Investors fled. Contracts dissolved. Within weeks, the board forced a sale, citing it as the only way to secure any financial stability for what remained of the family. Thorne Enterprises—once untouchable—was sold for a fraction of its value. Just enough to support Mason, Elise, and Jason.

“Mrs. Thorne?”

the judge prompted.

Elise drew in a shaky breath and looked back at the ADA.

“Yes,”

she said quietly.

“He did.”

A murmur rippled through the gallery.

“Patrick Cleese threatened to reveal the assault,”

Elise continued, her voice trembling but steady.

“So Silas ordered his murder.”

“Objection, Your Honor!”

the defense attorney leapt to his feet.

“This witness was not privy to any such conversations. She didn’t even know about the alleged assault!”

Crystal didn’t miss a beat.

“Your Honor, just because Mrs. Thorne wasn’t present when the order was carried out does not mean she was unaware of it.”

“Anything my client may have told his wife is protected under spousal privilege—”

“Silas didn’t tell me.”

Elise’s voice cut through the courtroom like a blade.

Everything stopped.

Crystal took a step closer to the stand.

“Mrs. Thorne,”

she said carefully,

“then how did you learn this information?”

Elise swallowed and glanced back at Silas one last time.

“He told Connor and Suzanne Whittman,”

she said.

“I was in the room when he said it. Later, when our son Mason confronted him about Jason… everything came out.”

Crystal nodded once and turned toward the bench.

“Your Honor, while spousal privilege prevents this witness from testifying about private conversations with her husband, it does not apply to statements she overheard him make to third parties. Under the third-party exception, her testimony is admissible.”

The judge considered this briefly, then nodded.

“Overruled. The witness may continue.”

Silas’s face drained of color. His attorney sank slowly back into his chair.

After seven days of trial, the verdict was read.

Silas Thorne was found guilty on multiple counts, including murder, attempted rape, kidnapping, money laundering, and the use of a biochemical weapon. He was sentenced to one hundred and thirty years in prison, with no chance of parole until at least eighty-five percent of the sentence was served.

The Thorne name was finished.

Jason sat in the small visitation room, his hands shaking as Corey took the seat across from him. Relief washed over him—relief that, despite everything, he hadn’t killed his best friend.

They spoke quietly, voices thick with regret.

“There are too many mistakes to count,”

Jason muttered, staring at the floor.

“Maybe,”

Corey replied.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t try to be better.”

Jason looked up.

“I’m going to ask the DA to reduce the charge to assault,”

Corey continued.

“I’ll push for leniency.”

Jason’s eyes widened.

“Why would you do that?”

Corey exhaled slowly.

“Because even if I’m no longer part of your life… you’ll always be my best friend. That doesn’t change.”

Tears slid down Jason’s cheeks. He understood then—this wasn’t forgiveness. It was goodbye.

Corey stood, forcing a small smile. Ending a friendship that long hurt more than he’d expected—but it was necessary.

“Are you staying in Peoria?”

Jason asked softly.

Corey shook his head.

“No. We’re moving to Barrington. My parents are selling their branches here.”

Jason’s face twisted with guilt.

“My family ruined yours.”

Corey smiled sadly.

“They don’t carry all the blame. And a change of scenery might do us all some good. It worked for Ileana.”

Jason nodded, unable to respond.

“Let’s meet again when we’re better people,”

Corey said.

“I’d like that.”

“Me too,”

Jason whispered.

The plea deal was accepted. Jason pleaded guilty to assault, receiving five years of probation and thirty days of community service.

Soon after, Elise and Mason decided to leave Peoria as well. There was nothing left for them there—no home, no legacy, no future worth staying for.

Before they left, Elise asked Ileana to meet with her one final time.

Ileana hesitated—but in the end, she agreed.

Some endings needed to be faced head-on before they could truly be laid to rest

Ileana agreed to meet Elise at the same wildflower park Remy had taken her to. She arrived early and was already seated when Elise approached.

Ileana glanced up, a faint smile tugging at her lips as she continued feeding the geese clustered near the pond.

Once Elise sat down beside her, a comfortable silence settled between them, the soft rustle of grass and the distant sound of wings filling the space.

“You’re early,”

Elise said.

Ileana tore another piece of bread in half and tossed it toward the water.

“So are you.”

Elise chuckled quietly, her gaze drifting to the geese. Without another word, she reached for the bread and joined her, scattering crumbs across the grass.

“You know…”

Elise said after a moment,

“I don’t think I’ve ever been to this park before. It’s beautiful.”

Ileana smiled.

“I didn’t know about it either. Remy brought me here on our first date. It’s known for its wild and rare flowers. It’s even more radiant at night.”

Elise watched her daughter’s cheeks warm, a faint smile touching her own lips.

“You seem happy with him,”

she said gently.

“Is he good to you?”

Ileana nodded without hesitation.

“He is. And I am. I’m really happy.”

Elise’s smile grew, though her warm eyes carried a trace of sadness.

“That’s good,”

she said softly.

“That’s what matters most. That he loves you. Truly loves you.”

Silence settled again as they continued feeding the geese.

“I used to think Silas loved me,”

Elise said at last, her voice quieter now.

“That everything he did… he did for us.”

Her gaze dropped to her hands.

“But I was wrong. He only ever loved his image.”

The truth tasted bitter as it left her mouth—an ache she had carried far too long.

“So make sure he loves you,”

Elise continued, lifting her head.

“And make sure you love yourself. If you do that, everything else will fall into place.”

Ileana nodded.

“What’s next for you?”

she asked.

Elise tossed the last piece of bread and brushed her hands together.

“Your brothers and I are leaving.”

Ileana’s breath caught.

“Leaving? Where are you going?”

Elise smiled.

“Aurora. The Eastern Kingdom. It’s time I went back home.”

Ileana blinked in surprise.

“I had no idea—”

“I lived there until I was eighteen,”

Elise said.

“I left because I wanted something different. Finance. Ambition. I wanted to take on the world.”

Ileana’s brows knit together.

“And what happened once you got to Peoria?”

Elise’s smile turned bitter.

“I met Silas.”

Ileana dipped her head once. She understood.

Elise let out a small, humorless laugh.

“You’re a very intelligent young woman, Ileana. That’s how I know—you’ll be better than I ever was. Smarter. Stronger.”

She stood slowly, the smile still on her lips even as pain lined her face. Ileana rose as well and extended her hand.

“Take care of yourself, Elise,”

Ileana said.

“All three of you. I hope you find peace.”

Elise’s chest tightened as she nodded, taking her hand.

“You too, Ileana. Take care.”

With that, she turned away.

Only once she reached her car did the tears finally fall—tears she had fought for far too long.

Vy’s words echoed in her mind, sharp and unforgiving.

“You weren’t a good mother to her. And because of that, you don’t deserve her happiness. Her triumphs. Her moments of joy. Her milestones—marriage, children, all of it.”

“I’M HER MOTHER—”

“No! I am her mother.”

Elise sank back into the chair, staring into Vy’s cold, unyielding eyes.

"You were just the womb lucky enough to carry a remarkable child."

Her breath hitched as she cried.

“T-Then what do I do?”

she had asked.

“How do I fix this?”

“Get your shit together,”

Vy had said flatly.

“Become the mother she deserved. Then maybe—maybe—she’ll allow you a place in her life.”

The words followed Elise as she drove through the quiet streets, clinging to her like both a curse and a promise.

‘Give me time, Ileana,’

she thought.

‘I swear—I’ll become the woman and the mother you always deserved.’