Chapter 19 - The Final Betrayal Revealed
Three weeks later, Dahlia Higgins appeared before a federal judge for her final sentencing hearing, hoping her brief cooperation would earn her a reduced sentence or early parole.
However, the federal prosecutor produced a piece of recovered cloud data that had been successfully extracted from Paige’s original phone backup—a file that had previously been corrupted.
The video played in open court. It did not just show Dahlia pulling the curtain shut. It captured the thirty seconds before the curtain was closed.
In the video, Luke turned to Dahlia and asked what to do with Anna after the soda was spilled. Dahlia’s voice was clear, crisp, and devoid of emotion: "Teach her a lesson so her father knows he can't fight us. Just make sure you don't break her face where people can see it. Then close the door."
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The courtroom gasped in collective horror. Dahlia sat frozen, her lips trembling as the judge looked down at her with absolute disdain.
"Dahlia Higgins," the judge declared, his voice echoing through the silent room. "You are sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. You will spend the rest of your days reflecting on the horrifying cruelty you inflicted upon your own flesh and blood."
