Chapter 13: The Descent
The verdict came down on a rainy Tuesday. Not guilty of attempted murder. Ruby was slapped with a minor misdemeanor for "reckless endangerment" and given a suspended sentence.
Arthur sat in the gallery, hollowed out. He had lost his company, his reputation, and his justice. That evening, he visited the hospital. He held tiny Leo's hand through the incubator holes, then sat by Clara's unmoving form. Her monitors beeped a slow, steady rhythm.
"I'm sorry," he whispered to her, tears finally breaking through his stoic facade. "I tried to play by their rules. I won't do it anymore."
