In this short story, Sharon Oswald is in court, awaiting the verdict that will send her behind bars for the murder of her abusive husband Mark Oswald. 

While sitting under the heavy weight of the Judge, the Jury and amongst the murmurings of those in attendance, Sharon feels completely frozen. 

This trial has been arduous and she’s almost relieved that it is soon over.

 She’s no longer anxious about the verdict the jury will reach, but she does wish her daughter Julie wasn’t here to witness her mother’s sins so openly discussed, rehashed and left lying on the ground. 

She wished Julie didn’t have to know so clearly how much Sharon had failed her. 

When Sharon meets the eyes of her daughter, those haunted eyes remind her of why she ultimately sacrificed everything to ensure Mark could never hurt either one of them ever again.

Those deep, brown still haunted eyes made her think about the events that lead  to her being here in a situation she could never have envisioned for herself, but have very little remorse about. 

Her hope is that all of this was not in vain and Sharon would  have freed her daughter of her monstrous parents to begin anew.

Time will tell, but for now all Sharon can do is pray for her daughter’s haunted eyes.