Paid For My Twin Sister's Crimes

chapter 288

👼 MY ANGEL 👼

Jeremy walked into the nursery, pushing Victoria in a wheelchair. There were several babies in there, so Victoria had to show him which one was his son.

When she did, the nurse helped him pick up the child from his hospital bassinet. She gave the child to Jeremy before excusing herself and leaving the family alone.

Jeremy stared at the child in his arms.

"Are you happy, Jeremy?" Victoria asked.

Upon hearing that, Jeremy smiled. "Of course, you gave me a son. I couldn't be more proud."

"Jeremy, I have to ask, when is our wedding going to be? You did divorce Elsa, right?"

Jeremy nodded while still staring at the child. "I did. The divorce is already done. Elsa's trial is tomorrow, right? After her trial, we will get married immediately. So our wedding will be in three days."

"Three days? Jeremy, I love that you want to marry me right away, but how will I plan a wedding in two days?"

"Don't you want to marry me right away too?"

"Yes, yes. Of course, I do."

"Then that's all that matters. Even if it's a small ceremony, it's still our wedding."

When Victoria heard that, she was so happy. Finally! She would be Mrs. Callahan now. She had someone make the invitations immediately and sent one to Elsa, knowing very well she wouldn't show up since she would be in jail. She just wanted to rub it in her face. Because immediately after her trial, she would be killed the very next day.

Everyone came to Elsa's hearing. The soon-to-be-married couple, Jeremy and Victoria, the Rowlands, Esther and John, Bruno, Lui, and Alex, and the McConnells also came. Rosanna wanted to show James how much of a liar Elsa could be, and her being found guilty of this crime would be proof enough.

Elsa was brought in with handcuffs. Her hair was unkempt, her eyes were sunken and swollen, her lips were dry, and she was walking lifelessly to sit in the dock. Elsa was quiet and just staring blankly into nothing. Ever since she lost her daughter, she started having moments that felt like she was changing, like she was a whole different person.

Elsa wasn't even concentrating; she barely heard the judge say that every criminal defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The standard of proof is "beyond a reasonable doubt." He then asked her plea, whether guilty or innocent.

"I am innocent of this crime I am being accused of."

The next thing was examination of the evidence. The government database showed Elsa with two identities, two social security numbers, two driver's licenses... Everything that was written under Gwen Halverson and Elsa Halverson had her fingerprints on it.

Elsa was asked how she managed to change her data and how she got access to that in the first place, but she replied that she didn't change anything and she doesn't have access to something like that.

Lui had already told her that her case was very difficult to prove. And even after scrambling, there was no concrete proof they had that Gwen actually existed and she wasn't Gwen but Elsa. Everything was covered; there was no loophole they could use.

But Lui and Alex still testified in defense of Elsa. They weren't going to abandon her no matter what, especially since they knew the truth.

It was almost time for questions when Elsa told her lawyer she would use her right to remain silent and therefore refused to answer any questions, having her lawyer answer for her.

And she remained silent up until the closing statement time.
"Defendant, do you wish to make a closing argument?" the judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honor, I do." It almost felt like this was the first time she spoke. She stood up in her dock, ready to say what had been going through her mind the entire time. She didn't really care much about proving her innocence at this point. She already knew where this was going. So her closing statement wasn't about trying to sway the judge to prove her innocence.

Elsa turned her head around, and her eyes landed on Jeremy first before the rest she mentioned.

"Mr. Jeremy Callahan, Victoria Rowland, Esther Rowland, and John Rowland... Your days are numbered. All four of you killed my family.

"(To John) You killed my sister. (To Esther) You killed my mother. (To Victoria) You killed my grandma. (To Jeremy) And you, dear ex-husband, you murdered my children. All four of you teamed up and took my entire family away from me.

"It doesn't matter what the final verdict will be. It doesn't matter what will happen to me today. As long as I am still breathing, I will make you pay for all the things you have done to me and my family."

A tear fell down her cheek.

"I want everybody in this courtroom to hear this. That I, Elsa Halverson, daughter of Jenna Halverson, granddaughter of Amelia Halverson, sister to Gwen Halverson... Have declared war."

She then looked Jeremy right in the eye as she declared with a strong, powerful voice. "This is not a warning, this is a threat. I am coming for you."

After she said that, she again had that feeling. A feeling that something inside her was changing, but she couldn't tell what it was.

But it was as if she would be seeing little by little of the old and more of this new change. It was a more intense feeling this time, and she started believing something in her head even more.

But what she didn't see, however, was the shocked expression that covered the McConnell couple's faces when she mentioned her mother's name.

They even got up from their seats. Rosanna was just about to ask Elsa to repeat the name of her mother she had just mentioned when the judge spoke, interrupting her.

"Everyone, please take your seats."

The judge was about to make his final verdict about Elsa's case and needed order and silence.

Bruno, Lui, and Alex held their breath, waiting.

Victoria and her true parents were grinning ear to ear, waiting for the win.

For Elsa, she already knew what it was.

"At the High Court in Serpens today, Lord Tyre sentenced Gwen Halverson to a custodial term of 3 years and 2 months after the defendant was found guilty of fraud."

He then banged the gavel to indicate that his decision was final.