The courtroom was cold.
Not just from the air conditioning or the sterile white walls - but from the weight of truth that hung over everyone's shoulders like chains.
Max sat in the defendant's chair, dressed in formals that didn't hide the monster beneath. Beside him sat his friends - silent now, no laughter, no cocky smirks, no shadows to disappear into. Just fear. Just silence.
Erica entered the courtroom with her head high and her heart pounding so hard she thought the whole room could hear it. Her hands were cold, but her steps were steady. She didn't look at him.
Not once.
But Max - Max never stopped looking at her.
He watched her like a ghost, like something he used to control and could no longer reach.
The evidence was clear. The photos. The timeline. The testimonies. Her photo in his basement had sealed their fate.
Detective Mihul had spoken earlier, presenting everything with unshakable resolve. And now, it was her turn.
The lawyer stood. "Miss Erica, do you know the man sitting here today - Max?"
She didn't flinch.
She didn't glance.
Her voice was calm. "No. We didn't know each other."
A pause.
"We just crossed paths."
That was all.
Simple. Brutal.
The truth wrapped in ice.
And Max's eyes - they dropped for the first time.
He looked away.
The judge read the charges. Count after count - sexual assault, attempted murder, conspiracy, possession of illegal content, obstruction of justice.
Each charge sounded like thunder.
Each one heavier than the last.
And finally - the sentence.
"Given the overwhelming evidence, the testimony of the victim, and the nature of the crimes committed," the judge said, voice echoing like a gavel before the sound even hit, "this court hereby sentences Maximilian R. and his accomplices to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole."
The room held its breath.
Then it exhaled - like the weight of a hundred souls had been lifted.
Erica didn't cry.
She didn't smile.
She just stood up and walked out, as Max was dragged back into the darkness he created.
She didn't need revenge anymore.
She had something better.
Justice.