The judge delivered procedural sentencing instructions and thanked the jury. No additional statements were made that changed the outcome.
Federal marshals approached both defendants.
Evan did not resist.
Tessa’s posture collapsed slightly as she was escorted out.
Neither of them looked at me.
Outside the courthouse, the air felt brighter than it should have been. Not because anything had improved, but because the weight of uncertainty had finally been replaced with confirmed structure.
Agent Arden stood beside me briefly.
He said, “She documented everything clearly enough that denial was never going to survive contact with evidence.”
I replied, “She just wanted someone to understand what she already knew.”
He nodded once and did not add anything further.
