My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 1094

Every time the defense tried to argue, their points were shot down, one after another, until there was nothing left. There was no hope for a different outcome.

The verdict came fast. Isabella Austin was found guilty on multiple counts—intentional injury, fleeing the scene—and got thirteen years in prison. She also had to pay damages, both financial and emotional, to the victim.

Emily finally felt like she could breathe again. For the first time, the weight she’d been carrying just... lifted. She wondered if Daisy, wherever she was, could see all of this. Would she be proud? Would she feel at peace?

As the judge read the decision, Rose Ward sat quietly in the plaintiff’s seat, tears brimming in her eyes. She gave Emily a small, reassuring nod.

Emily smiled back, just a little. It was all she could manage.

At the defense table, Isabella crumpled into her chair, her skin ashen and drained of any color. She looked like she might collapse.

Emily glanced over to where Isabella’s parents were sitting with Benjamin Gomez. Benjamin looked nothing like his old self. His face was tired, his jaw dark with stubble, and his eyes heavy with sleeplessness. He stared at Isabella with a kind of dull pain that was impossible to hide.

Isabella’s mother was crying into her hands. Her father held her close, letting out long, heavy sighs. They both looked like they’d aged ten years in the span of a single morning.

Nearby, Tate Vargas watched it all. He had met Isabella’s parents a few days back, told them who he was, and explained everything. They were shocked at first that Isabella’s biological father had shown up so suddenly, but they accepted him. Tate was powerful, after all, and they all wanted the same thing—to spare Isabella from as much pain as possible.

Now Tate just sat there, hunched over, head bowed, looking like all the life had been drained from him. He seemed like just a shell, empty and beaten.

The verdict had barely settled before people started to make their way out of the courtroom. Emily followed Tristan Davis, but she could feel eyes burning into her back.

With Isabella in prison, the Austin family and Benjamin Gomez were left scrambling, trying to pick up the pieces. Watching them, Emily saw flashes of her own old self, desperate and lost.

The scandal wrecked the Austin family’s business. Their company’s stock price took a nosedive and ended up frozen at its lowest for days. The family was furious, angry at the mess and at each other.

To try and save the company, Isabella’s grandfather took charge. He ignored his son and daughter-in-law’s protests and held a press conference. There, he told the world that Isabella was not their biological daughter. He said they had adopted her, that she’d always been difficult, but they never gave up on her. Still, because of her crimes, the family was cutting all ties with her.

At the press conference, Isabella’s grandfather donated more than a hundred million to orphanages and announced they were still searching for their real daughter. He promised a huge reward for anyone who could find her or offer a solid lead.

The news that Isabella wasn’t the real Austin daughter exploded across the media. The size of the donation and the reward money stunned everyone. For a while, it was enough to drown out the chaos from Isabella’s case.