LOGIN[ALESSIA POV]Jeffrey pulls me to my feet and David appears beside us, already talking about next steps and paperwork and things I need to sign, but I can barely process what he's saying because all I can think is that it's over. It's finally over. Sandra has been sentenced and will be going to prison for more than two decades, and while that doesn't erase what she did or heal all the damage she caused, it at least provides some closure, some sense that the legal system has recognized the harm she inflicted and imposed consequences accordingly.We're making our way toward the exit, surrounded by the courthouse security guards who've been assigned to protect me, when I hear shouting from somewhere behind us. At first I think it's just more journalists trying to get my attention, but then I hear my name screamed in a voice I recognize immediately and my blood turns to ice."Alessia! You think you've won? You think this is over?" Victoria Chen is pushing through the crowd, her face twist
[ALESSIA'S POV]My voice comes out steadier than I expected when I start reading from the paper in my hands, though I can feel it trembling slightly as I force myself to look up and make eye contact with the judge instead of staring down at my prepared words like a shield against the roomful of people watching me. "Your Honor, my name is Alessia Reed Walker, and I'm here today to tell you about how Sandra Seaman's actions affected me and my family." The words feel both rehearsed and raw at the same time, like I'm reciting lines from a script about someone else's trauma even though every word is pulled directly from my own experience, my own nightmares, my own long slow recovery from something that should never have happened.I tell the judge about the morning I was taken, how I was on my way to work thinking about the segment I needed to edit and whether I'd remembered to pack Alexander's lunch, completely ordinary thoughts that evaporated the moment the van pulled up and men in masks
"Remember, this isn't about revenge. This is about justice and closure. You're not asking the judge to punish Sandra out of anger—you're asking her to impose a sentence that reflects the severity of what was done to you and ensures that you and your family can move forward safely." David is looking at me seriously, making sure I understand the distinction, and I nod even though part of me absolutely does want revenge, does want Sandra to suffer the way she made me suffer."What if I can't do it? What if I get up there and just fall apart?" The fear has been gnawing at me ever since David first mentioned the victim impact statement, this terror that I'll stand in front of everyone and prove that I'm weak and broken and exactly the kind of person Victoria has been claiming I am."Then you fall apart, and we take a break, and you pull yourself together and finish. Or you don't finish and that's okay too—the judge doesn't need your statement to make her decision, it's just one piece of th
[ALESSIA'S POV]The week between Edward's testimony and Sandra's sentencing feels like the longest seven days of my life, each hour stretching into something interminable as we all try to go about our normal routines while this massive question mark hangs over everything. Will Sandra get twenty years or twenty-five? Will the judge be swayed by Edward's testimony about her mental state, or will she decide that desperate love doesn't excuse kidnapping and attempted murder? I find myself obsessively checking my phone for updates from David even though I know he'll call me the second he hears anything, and at night I lie awake running through scenarios in my head, trying to prepare myself for every possible outcome even though I know it's pointless to try to control things that are completely out of my hands.Jeffrey has been incredible this past week, stepping up in all the ways I needed him to without me even having to ask. He's taken over most of the household responsibilities so I can
[ALESSIA POV] The next day crawls by with agonizing slowness, every hour stretching like taffy as I try to focus on work emails and household tasks while my mind spins through worst-case scenarios about the therapy session. What if Alexander changes his mind about what he wants? What if Dr. Harrison thinks I'm being selfish for not wanting Edward to have more custody? What if Jeffrey shows up and announces he's definitely leaving for good? By the time I need to leave to pick up Alexander from school, I'm so wound up with anxiety that my hands are shaking and I have to take three deep breaths before I can even start the car. Alexander is quiet on the drive to Dr. Harrison's office, staring out the window with that distant look he gets when he's thinking too hard about things that should be beyond his emotional pay grade. I want to reassure him, want to tell him that everything will be okay and we'll figure this out together, but I'm not sure I believe it myself so instead I just reac
[ALESSIA'S POV]Alexander sits beside me on the couch, his legs tucked underneath him in that way kids do when they're trying to make themselves smaller, and I can see him wrestling with the question I just asked. What does he want? It should be simple, but nothing about our situation is simple, and I watch his face cycle through a dozen different emotions as he tries to figure out how to answer honestly without hurting anyone's feelings. This is too much responsibility for an eight-year-old, I realize with a sharp pang of guilt. He shouldn't have to make decisions about custody arrangements and prison sentences. He should be worried about homework and soccer practice and whether his friends like the same video games he does. But we're long past the point where I can protect him from adult problems, so instead I wait, giving him space to think without rushing him toward an answer."I don't know," he finally says, and his voice is so small and uncertain that I want to pull him into my
[ALESSIA'S POV]Monday morning starts like any other.I arrive at the station at six. Coffee in hand,.Script ready my hair and makeup done.The morning show goes live at seven.I have one hour to prep.I'm reviewing the teleprompter when Claire, my producer, walks over."Morning, Alessia. Got a
[SANDRA'S POV]I can't stop thinking about it.The way Alexander ran to her, the way he hugged her.The way he smiled at her like she was the most important person in the world.He thought she was me. But what if some part of him knew?What if blood really does call to blood the way people say?No
[ALESSIA'S POV]Sandra's lawyer's office is exactly what I expected.Glass walls. Marble floors. Everything designed to make you feel small.I sit across from Sandra at a conference table that's too big for just the two of us.She looks perfect. Hair smooth. Makeup flawless. Designer dress that prob
[ALESSIA'S POV] Two weeks feel like two years. Every morning, I wake up and wonder if today is the day I'll know. Jeffrey barely talks to me anymore. He goes to work early. Comes home late. Sleeps on his side of the bed with his back to me. When I try to touch him, he flinches. Not obviously.







