Noah hated crowds. Ethan slept near exits. Sophie felt guilty for forgetting the video. I felt guilty for breathing all seven years without them. Therapy became our second home.

So did courtrooms.

Michael was sentenced for financial crimes, obstruction, witness intimidation, and conspiracy. The former sheriff faced charges too. During sentencing, I read a statement.

I didn’t call Michael a monster — monsters are too easy. I called him what he was: “A coward who used my children as leverage and my grief as camouflage.”

He stared at the table. Good.

Daniel’s status was a strange, painful piece of paperwork — recognized as having survived the lake, then confirmed deceased by medical records and testimony.