Too Late for Regret (Annalise and Roger) novel Chapter 146

Ana’s POV

One Month Later:

Things moved ahead quickly. The evidence against the Vaughns was clear. The police knew exactly who the counterfeiter was who made up the new identification. He was known for creating documents that were almost impossible to detect as forgeries. There was an electronic transfer from Hudson Vaughn, straight to the counterfeiter. He also transferred the money to Eddie to pay for Tiffany’s release.

Naomi Vaughn didn’t escape her own charges. She was the one who purchased the condo for Tiffany and Gretchen to live in. She also purchased the plane tickets for the five of them to fly there together. So each had separate charges held against them. They both had accessory charges against them for what happened at my home. Breaking and entering, trespassing, k********g, and attempted murder, as Tiffany had wanted to kill me.

The biggest issue for them was that company funds were transferred to their personal accounts to pay for the condo, to pay Eddie, the plane tickets, and the counterfeit documents. As a result, they face tax evasion charges, and the IRS has frozen their assets. It prevented them from hiring the attorneys they wanted. The Vaughns were assigned public defenders and were furious about it. With the amount of evidence against them, it really didn’t matter. They were not going to be able to get out from under their charges.

Tiffany, Gretchen, and Eddie also faced the same charges as the Vaughns. There was no room for argument, as the video was clear. The Vaughns tried to argue that they were at the airport when it went down and had no knowledge of what Tiffany had planned. But they were the ones who paid Eddie to let Tiffany go. They were just as involved in this as everyone else.

Eddie and Tiffany had an additional premeditation charge against them for wanting to attack me with the acid. Eddie had charges for getting the acid from his friend. His friend was fired from the company. He faced charges for taking payment for the unlawful distribution of a hazardous substance. EHS (Environment, Health, and Safety), which creates safety protocols and manages hazardous materials, also stepped in to press charges against him, and he was fined for his actions.

I didn’t want to go to the trial. I was worried about the stress it might cause me at just over the five–month mark. But I had to go. Charlie and I were the ones who pressed charges against them. Charlie stayed by my side to keep me calm. It worked, and I was glad that I didn’t have to take the stand. The video started and showed them running towards our home after the SUV pulled off.

The next shot was of Eddie picking the lock. We covered all the bases we needed to ensure they faced every charge we could bring against them. After that, their own actions were their downfall. Tiffany was not brought back to court. She was a known flight risk and appeared via video. She watched the evidence play out, her face twisting with anger at times. Specifically, when she was injured. She still tried to argue that it was our fault that she had been disfigured. Her attorney didn’t bring it up. She did. Yelling out as the video ended about how she would never have been burned if she hadn’t been stabbed in the hand.

She still refused to accept any fault or blame for what happened. She was still trying to portray herself as the victim in all this. Everyone could clearly see what happened, but Tiffany still stood by her version of events. Not by what actually happened.

She ended up getting another twenty years added to her sentence. Most of the sentence stemmed from her escaping and attempting to flee the country. Her parents cried when they saw what happened to her in the video. I imagine that it would be hard to see your child go through that kind of trauma. Seth told me that they had been horrified to see the picture Holden snapped of her while she was in the hospital. She was still healing, and the burns were not looking good at the moment. She can’t take care of them very well in prison.

I’ve heard she’s having a hard time in prison. The prisoners all heard about what she had attempted to do to me. They find it funny that she ended up hurting herself, instead of me, that day. According to what we’ve heard, she is still struggling to accept that she will not be able to receive plastic surgery. She really thought that was going to happen. But she’s looking at eighty–two years. The judge removed any chance of parole for her after her last actions. She is twenty–eight years old. She won’t be getting out of prison. I would be lying if I wasn’t relieved to hear that.

Hudson Vaughn received twenty–two years for his actions. Naomi ended up with eighteen years. They were also charged $7 million in fines and penalties by the IRS for their creative bookkeeping. After sentencing, they signed paperwork allowing Holden to sell their home and the condo in the Maldives to pay off their debts and put some aside for when they get out.

Hudson had asked Holden to help them while in prison. Paying for toiletries and things they would need. He was willing to help them, but it really wasn’t fair to him. He was under a great deal of pressure as the Vaughn group was collapsing. The scandal of what Tiffany had done, quickly followed by the second scandal when their own charges came to light. It was pretty much a done deal. Their company was a shell of its former self. Someone will pick it up for a good price. I believe that Chuck, Charlie’s father, is looking to pick it up for pennies on the dollar.

Holden still has his restaurants and several investments that are paying off, so he will be fine. He wasn’t involved in the mess Tiffany created, but he was still a Vaughn. People were still coming to his restaurant to look around and talk about the scandal. You would have thought people would have let it go, but after the second scandal, they came right back again. Enjoying the gossip and the drama.

I decided to speak to Holden, one–on–one, and let him down easy. I knew he would never give up if I didn’t speak to him privately. Charlie didn’t love it, but he knew I had no romantic feelings for Holden anymore. He had nothing to worry about. I was showing now, and Charlie was so attentive to me. Charlie suggested that Holden and I meet for dinner at his grandmother’s restaurant. I’ve been really craving Italian these days, so I was happy with his idea. Holden and I met in the dining room, and Charlie watched us from a distance.

He was concerned that Holden might lose his temper when I told him he didn’t have a chance with me. After how Tiffany behaved, and Holden’s refusal to accept that I wanted to be with Charlie. I could see where he was coming from. I think after all these months, Holden is now realizing that I was completely done with him. He had his chance, and he blew it. I accepted his apology for trespassing that day. I think he got more than he bargained for at the time. I believed him when he said he had been shocked and couldn’t move. It was the same thing that happened to me when I caught him with Gretchen.

He was upset that I still rejected him after he said he was willing to marry me and raise my baby as his own. He was serious, and I tried to be as gentle as I could be when I did it. But what he was attempting was the definition of too little, too late. He wished us well, but I could see how hurt he was over losing me. I wasn’t trying to hurt him; I just happened to fall in love with someone else. Holden left pretty quickly after that. I hope he finds someone to love, but it won’t be me. I need to get my handsome husband home. I really need some stress relief after today, but at least all the trials are behind us now.