Santiago had always known that justice would come with a price. What he didn't realize was how much it would change everything. The moment they arrived at the courthouse for the final verdict, the weight of the past months seemed to lift as the judge announced the sentences.
Rinaldi was given life in prison, and the people he had helped to cover up their crimes were given sentences of varying lengths. The network of corruption had been exposed, and with it came the sense that the city, the country even, could breathe again.
But it wasn't over. It would never be over.
Santiago and Emma stood in the hallway after the verdict was handed down, silently reflecting on everything that had happened. Santiago had already made his peace with the case, but there was still a part of him that wondered if it was enough.
"Do you think it'll ever end?" Santiago asked Emma quietly.
Emma shook her head. "Not really. These things always leave scars. But it's over for now, and that's something."
Santiago nodded. "Yeah. It is."