Too Late for Regret (Annalise and Roger) novel Chapter 130

Charlie’s POV

The second half of the day included Tiffany’s assault charge against me. The video showed that she attempted to attack Ana in the courtroom, and the jury was shocked by her behavior. Tiffany didn’t even try to hold back when I stepped in to protect Ana. Tiffany’s argument? If I hadn’t interfered, I would have never been hurt in the first place. Which wasn’t actually a defense. Her attorney did attempt to defend her, but it was a waste of time. The jury went back to deliberate, and I held Ana’s hand.

Ana was upset. She had apologized for getting Tiffany wound up again. She was worried about the fallout with Tiffany. I had to set her straight, as none of this was ever her fault.

“Tiffany has been prepared for tonight, for weeks, Ana. Getting her angry this morning wasn’t going to change anything about tonight at all. She was already prepared to move forward, just as we are prepared to counter. The only thing that I’m worried about is what will happen when they realize it was a trap. That’s why I want you to be hidden away and safe. I’m more worried about you than anyone else. They know what’s to come, and they will answer with the appropriate amount of force needed. I just need to know that you and ut baby are safe, so I can focus on what I need to do,” I whispered into her ear.

Ana is calmer now, but I already know that if anything happens to any of us, she’s going to blame herself. What she’s not getting is that whatever happens tonight, Tiffany is the one to blame for it. I’m glad that Tiffany is going to take a chance on coming after Ana. As pissed off as she is right now, she couldn’t leave if she wanted to. She is worked up. Knowing that she has finally gotten the upper hand against Ana is the only thing that will calm her down. If Tiffany left, it would be impossible to get her back in the country, let alone make plans against her. But her willingness to risk being caught just to try to hurt my wife one more time, well, that’s more than jealousy. She just can’t allow Ana to be happy.

I knew it for what it was, an unhealthy obsession with Ana. I believe that Tiffany has a delusional disorder. Complete with feelings of grandiose and jealousy mixed together. I doubt Tiffany even realizes that’s what’s going on. It should have been caught much sooner. She could have sought help, but she didn’t. She firmly believes that she is better and much more deserving of what she wants than Ana is. Tiffany has nothing to show for her life, other than her feelings of superiority.

That’s what Ana’s therapist believes, and I agree. Tiffany cannot let Ana be happy. She’s found a way to control her and doesn’t want to give it up. She is willing to potentially be caught and face serious consequences just to ‘get Ana back‘ for her own feelings of inadequacy. It wasn’t just one issue that triggered her to do what she did to Ana. The jealousy most likely stemmed from something she had mentioned earlier about her mother trying to curry favor with Alicia Caldwell. Naomi’s preferential treatment of Ana was not a very good idea. If they had caught onto her behavior much earlier, this whole situation could have been avoided.

Ana’s therapist took the stand and spoke about the emotional damaged that Tiffany’s actions had caused. Tiffany’s attorney, Martin Lloyd, tried to spin the narrative several times. Mostly by blaming the Caldwell family for not looking into Ana’s sudden weight gain more deeply than they had. He was trying his best, but didn’t even realize that he was making powerful enemies with each attempt he made. I don’t feel bad for him; he was trying too hard to make a name for himself, and he didn’t care who he pissed off.

It didn’t do him any good. The jury had heard from Tiffany’s own mouth that not only had she done what she was accused of, but she didn’t have any regrets. Except for not getting to Ana inside her home. That statement spoke volumes about who she was as a person. Her lack of empathy showed that she had other issues as well. I think she is an undiagnosed sociopath. How else could she have hurt Ana the way she did? No compassion, no hesitation, no issues with physically hurting another person for no reason. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

There was no need for Tiffany to take the stand. She had already admitted to knowingly assaulting Ana. The only thing in question was what Gretchen had to say. She had insisted on coming here with Tiffany today, but that was more to be able to leave with Tiffany than anything else. She took the stand, but danced around the statement she wanted to give. When she finally managed to get out that she was confused at the first trial and hadn’t meant to perjure herself, the judge had had enough.

She sentenced Gretchen to an additional five years, in addition to the existing sentence for wasting the court’s time. Gretchen just needed to stay with Tiffany to leave. Tiffany couldn’t leave her behind because she knew that Gretchen would tell someone what she had planned. She had no choice but to ensure Gretchen stayed with her.

“This is wrong, a miscarriage of justice. You need to do something about this. It was so long ago, it’s practically ancient history. The jury just doesn’t like me and is doing this in an attempt to hurt me. You’re just too scared to go against her. It’s not fair, and I refuse to accept the judgment. Just increase the jail time you give me. But, please, don’t punish my parents for my actions. They’re already struggling to stay afloat. They could lose everything if you make them pay out that kind of money. You could lower it, right? You’re the judge. You’re in charge, and you could make the amount awarded lower if you wanted to,” Tiffany suggested.

It was clear that Tiffany was not taking the verdict well. Her parents actually looked physical sick at the thought of having to pay for her mistakes. They didn’t think it should be that high either, but I think it’s just perfect. Ana’s non–profit was going to do great things with that kind of money. Ana would now be able to get it set up exactly how she wanted it.

“I could change the amount awarded, Ms. Vaughn, but I won’t. The evidence in this case was clear, and you have shown no remorse for your actions throughout. I observed you mocking the plaintiff with jokes about her weight on several occasions. You were even proud of getting her family to hurt her. Running everything behind the scenes and getting them even more upset with someone who was truly a victim in your sick game. I find your actions. disgusting. I’ve never seen someone do something so heinous to another, and I’ve been sitting on this bench for a long time. I don’t understand how your behavior went unnoticed for so long. It shouldn’t have, but Mrs. Billingsley is about to finally receive much–deserved justice,” the judge announced.

“For God’s sake, why can’t she just let it go? The statute of limitations has expired; I know this because I looked into it. You’re willing to twist and even break the law just to make her happy. It’s not right. Who sits on old texts like that? I was just a teenager and didn’t know any better. I didn’t realize what I was doing was so serious, or I never would have done it. Who would have known the penalties for it right off the top of their heads? I’m shocked that no one else seems to be as surprised by how far this has progressed. This isn’t justice. It’s Ana getting what she wants all over again, just like she always does. I’m tired of seeing Ana get everything she wants. It isn’t fair. I just hope I’m there to see it when she finally gets what she deserves,” Tiffany spat out.

And there it was. She thinks that she’s being cryptic in front of the courtroom. That statement is going to come back and bite her in the ass. She couldn’t stop herself from making another threat, could she? I’ll make sure that once everything settles tonight, she knows she overplayed her hand. She won’t be getting away with anything. I’ll make damn sure of that.