Grandpa's Nursing Home Abused Him, Now The Negligence Settlement Is My Wedding Gift

Elena had expected to wait days. She had brought a book, a sandwich, and a bottle of water, prepared to camp in the hallway while the jury debated the nuances of civil liability. But barely an hour had passed before the bailiff opened the door.

"They're back," Julian said, checking his watch. His brow furrowed. "That's fast. Fast is usually good, or it's terrible."

They filed back in. The air in the room was electric, crackling with the static of judgment. Elena’s student loans, Arthur’s future, the threat of bankruptcy—it all hung on a piece of paper in the foreman's hand.

The foreman, the man in the blue shirt, stood up. He didn't look at Thorne. He looked straight at Elena.

"We find the defendant, Golden Horizons Care, liable for Gross Negligence and Fraud."

Elena let out a breath she felt she’d been holding for a year. But it wasn't over. The damages phase. Usually, there was a punitive damages cap, a limit to how much a jury could punish a corporation.

"We award compensatory damages of two million dollars," the foreman read.

Gasps rippled through the gallery. Thorne flinched. But the foreman wasn't done.

"And for punitive damages..." The man paused, glancing at Thorne with pure disgust. "We award the plaintiff twenty-five million dollars."

Thorne made a sound like a deflating tire. His eyes rolled back, and he slumped sideways, sliding out of his chair in a dead faint. The gavel slammed down, but Elena couldn't hear it over the roar of justice in her ears. Twenty-five million.