Sandra covers her face with her hands, shoulders shaking.
She manages after a moment. "The prosecutor wants to talk to you. About your relationship with Callum. About the abuse. It would help their case. Show a pattern. But you don't have to. I'll understand if you can't."
Jessica's voice is firm. "I'll do it. Whatever they need. I'll testify. I'll give statements. Whatever helps put him away."
Sandra wipes her eyes. "Thank you. The prosecutor said with the evidence they have, with the other victims, he's looking at significant prison time."
I should feel satisfaction. Justice served. But all I feel is a bone-deep sadness for the man Callum could have been. The friend he pretended to be.
Sandra stands, steadier now. "I should go. I've taken enough of your time. But Jessica, I want you to know. I told the prosecutor everything I saw. Every time Callum raised his voice at you. Every time you flinched. Every excuse I made. I'm not protecting him anymore."
Jessica walks her to the door. "Thank you for coming."
Sandra pauses on the threshold. "You're going to be a wonderful mother someday. You'll protect your children. Keep them safe. Teach them to be good people. Everything I failed to do."
Jessica's smile is soft. "Someday. When we're ready."
Sandra's voice catches. "They'll be lucky children. So very lucky."
She leaves, and Jessica closes the door behind her.
Silence settles over the house.
Carlos is the first to speak. "How long do you think he'll get?"
Jessica turns to face us. "The prosecutor told Sandra it could be decades. With multiple victims and the severity of the New York assault, they could push for maximum sentencing."
Carlos's voice is hard. "Good. He deserves every year they give him."
I move to Jessica, checking her pulse, her breathing, her pupils. Doctor mode. Safe mode. Pupil dilation normal. Pulse elevated but steady. Breathing slightly shallow but controlled.
She catches my hand. "I'm okay. I'm not going to fall apart."
"You're allowed to fall apart."
"I know." She looks up at me. "But I don't need to. He can't hurt me anymore. He can't hurt anyone anymore. And that girl in New York, she fought back. She screamed. She got help. She didn't spend six years making herself smaller."
Her voice breaks on the last word.
I pull her into my arms. Carlos wraps around her from behind. Through the bond, I feel Sergio and Nacho both responding to her distress. They'll be home soon.
She whispers into my chest. "I'm glad it's over. I'm glad he'll face consequences. I'm glad that girl will get justice. But part of me is sad too. For who he could have been. For the friend you all lost."
Carlos's voice is rough. "We didn't lose a friend. We lost an illusion. The real Callum was always a monster. We just didn't want to see it."
Jessica pulls back, wiping her eyes. "Sandra was trying. In her own way. She was trying to do the right thing."
I mutter. "A week too late."
"Better late than never."
The front door opens. Nacho enters in his uniform, his dark eyes immediately finding Jessica.
He's across the room in three strides. "What's wrong? I felt..."
Jessica's voice is steady. "Callum was arrested. For rape. In New York. Sandra came to tell us."
Nacho goes very still.
