Chapter 10 - JACKSON’S SENTENCE
Jackson pleaded guilty before Genesis’s trial ended.
Assault.
Financial concealment.
Conspiracy-related conduct limited to what he admitted.
He received incarceration, supervised release, restitution, and intervention programming.
I gave a victim-impact statement.
“He was not powerless because his mother controlled him. He was an adult when he raised that plate. He had choices. He used fear in our marriage long before he used violence. I want the court to treat him as responsible for those choices.”
Jackson cried.
I felt nothing useful from that.
Tears are not evidence of change.
Time is.
Behavior is.
He apologized directly only once.
“I am sorry I hurt you.”
No excuse afterward.
Better.
Still not enough to rebuild anything.
The divorce decree became final three weeks later.
I kept my apartment.
He kept his business debt.
I changed my name back to Emma Mercer.
Genesis’s trial continued.
Richard moved forward with his own divorce.
The eleven victims coordinated restitution claims.
The total damage grew to thirty-one million when hidden appreciation was included.
Then prosecutors called one final witness.
Genesis’s younger sister, Caroline.
Caroline testified that Genesis had forged her signature on a trust withdrawal thirty-four years earlier.
Same method.
Detachable signature page.
Pattern established.
The jury deliberated four days.
Then Dana called.
“Verdict.”
I went.
Genesis stood.
Counts read.
Guilty.
Again.
Again.
Fraud.
Forgery.
Identity theft.
Conspiracy.
Money laundering.
Exploitation.
Not every count.
Enough.
At sentencing, Genesis finally spoke.
“I did what families do.”
The judge answered:
“No. You did what abusers do when they confuse access with ownership.”
Genesis received a long prison sentence.
Richard cried.
Grief is not endorsement.
He had loved her once.
May you like
Maybe part of him still did.
Complicated feelings do not invalidate consequences.
