Chapter 46 - The Final Nail
Emily stood up. She didn't look at the board. She turned and looked directly into Ryan’s eyes. He flinched, physically shrinking in his chair under the weight of her absolute, unshakeable confidence.
"Ryan Vance did not just steal money, and he did not just defraud a bank," Emily’s voice rang out, clear and powerful in the sterile room. "He is a systemic, violent abuser who used financial ruin as a weapon of domestic terror. He isolated me, he assaulted me while I was carrying his child, and he completely obliterated the concept of a safe home."
Ryan stared at the floor, his face pale.
"He has not reached out to me out of remorse," Emily continued, addressing the board. "He reached out because he believes he can still manipulate the system. If you grant him early release, you are releasing a predator back into the wild. He has absolutely no family waiting for him. His daughter does not know his name, and she never will."
The commissioner nodded slowly, making a sharp note in his file.
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"Parole is emphatically denied, Mr. Vance," the commissioner stated, striking his gavel. "You will serve the absolute maximum remainder of your sentence. Guards, remand the prisoner."
As Ryan was dragged out of the room, looking utterly destroyed, Emily did not smile. She simply turned her back on him and walked out the door, leaving him to rot in the prison he had built for himself.
