Chapter 10 - DEREK’S PLEA
The criminal case resolved eight months after the assault.
Derek accepted a plea to an offense reflecting the physical assault, with conditions including probation, completion of a certified intervention program, compliance with protective orders, and other court-imposed terms.
He admitted striking me.
He admitted pushing me into the cabinet.
He did not admit intending to harm Lily.
There was no evidence he intentionally targeted her.
That distinction mattered.
The judge asked:
“Was your wife holding your newborn when you struck her?”
“Yes.”
“Did you understand that increased the risk?”
Derek looked down.
“Yes.”
The sentence included a suspended custodial component conditioned on compliance.
Some people might have wanted immediate prison.
I wanted accountability that would survive legal scrutiny.
This did.
The financial and civil issues remained separate.
No criminal charge was immediately filed over the trust.
Questions of fraud, document misrepresentation, fiduciary authority, and employment conflict required more analysis.
Civil remedies were already moving.
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Professional consequences were already real.
The law did not need one giant case to address every wrong.
