“I foolishly thought Christopher would forgive me eventually.”

Martha looked at her with pity rather than anger.

“You arranged his funeral while he was still breathing in a basement.

The fundamental flaw with people who betray their families is that they expect others to politely carry the lifelong pain so they can feel forgiven.”

Martha walked toward the heavy exit door.

“Christopher may find it in his heart to forgive you someday because he has a gentle soul, but forgiveness will never give you back the life you willingly sold.”

The high-profile trial began fourteen months later, drawing widespread media attention.