Chapter 116 Chapter 117 Next Step
Rebecca’s POV
When you are in a tight situation, never show it with the expression on your face. Never reveal it through the words from your mouth. You are noble, and you must remain calm and collected because when you take a step back and analyze the situation, the perfect solution will present itself. These were the words I repeated in my mind as I sat in that courtroom, steadying myself against the unexpected turn of events.
The judgment of Judge Hilar shocked me to my very core. No one had seen this coming—not after Attorney David had meticulously laid out every single argument that should have guaranteed Micah a life sentence.
“What?” I screamed in my heart, but I refused to let it escape my lips.
I remained poised, my leg crossed over the other, my fingers gently rubbing against each other in a steady rhythm. With my free hand, I slid on my sunglasses, masking my emotions. The judgment had been passed, and we had lost. But this was not the end. It was merely the beginning of a new battle. It was time to regroup, restrategize, and sue Micah again—because I was not going to give up.
As I rose to leave, I heard hurried footsteps behind me. Attorney David caught up, his expression apologetic. “I apologize for losing,” he said, his voice low but firm.
But of course, I knew this was not his fault. He had presented the case flawlessly. Something had happened—something only Judge Hilar understood, because in no reality should this verdict have been possible.
“It is not your fault, Attorney David,” I reassured him, clasping his hands and meeting his gaze.
Before hiring him, I had heard countless stories about his unwavering determination. Who hadn’t? He was famous on TV for his unmatched arguments and for winning every case he took on. Losing was never an option for him. Any case that didn’t go in his favor, he always pursued to a higher court—especially when corruption was suspected.
His jaw tightened, and then he declared with conviction, “I will be taking this case to Madenrin Supreme Court itself!”
A slow smile spread across my lips as I turned toward the front of the courtroom. My eyes locked onto Micah, who was staring at me intently, as if desperate to hear our conversation. I held his gaze, unbothered by his persistence.
I nodded at Attorney David, my voice unwavering. “Let’s do that. If there is anything you need, please—”
“You won’t have to do anything, ma’am,” Attorney David interrupted. His determination was unshaken.
“This is why you paid over 400k for this case. It is my responsibility to see it through and ensure you get the justice you deserve,” he assured me.
I nodded once more, satisfied. With that, we departed from the courtroom. Evelyn, Mirabel, Natasha, and I headed home in silence, each lost in thought.
The moment we arrived, Mirabel and Evelyn busied themselves with work, but Natasha, without hesitation, pulled out her laptop.
Curious, I walked over to her. “What are you doing?” I asked, noting the abruptness of her actions. Natasha was a genius when it came to hacking and digital investigations, but her urgency piqued my interest even more.
Before she could answer, her fingers flew across the keyboard, the furious typing filling the room with sharp, rhythmic clicks.
Moments later, she suddenly shouted, “I knew it!”
My curiosity burned. I stood up from my sofa and joined her on hers. “What is it?” I pressed.
She pointed to a section on her screen. “Look here. Read what you see.”
I leaned in, my eyes scanning the text.
“Attorney Hilar Stanley Stone and Katrina Moses wedded November 19, 1991,” I read aloud, and in that instant, my breath caught in my throat. A rush of realization flooded me.
Becoming a judge in Madena required years of ranking up from a lawyer to a magistrate before reaching the bench. The name ‘Attorney Hilar’ from 1991 could only mean one thing.
“Hilar is Micah’s father?” I gasped.
I stared at the old image on the screen. The resemblance between the young attorney and Micah was undeniable. They were practically mirror images.
A shiver ran through me. “Was this why he didn’t give Micah the proper judgment?” I wondered aloud.
Micah’s POV
A knot tightened in my stomach as the weight of my mother’s words crashed over me. Before she passed away, while she still had her strength, she had told me countless stories about my father—stories laced with pain and betrayal.
She had told me how my father abandoned us, leaving us to fend for ourselves. How, when she told him about her pregnancy, he had coldly told her to get rid of it because he wanted nothing to do with me.
My hands clenched into fists. My breathing grew shallow. A storm brewed inside me, threatening to erupt. I wanted to scream. I wanted to hurl accusations at him, to make him understand the depth of the suffering he had caused.
But I couldn’t. Not here. Not now. If I lost control, the court officials would storm into his office, and before I knew it, I would be thrown out. Maybe even have my judgment overturned and land in the very prison he had just saved me from.
A tear slipped down my cheek. I swallowed the anger, forcing my voice to remain steady. “Can I go?” I asked, my tone quieter than I intended.
Judge Hilar didn’t respond. He just looked at me, and for the first time, I saw something in his eyes—a flicker of vulnerability. Regret, perhaps.
Slowly, he reached forward, as if to hold my hand. But I recoiled immediately. Disgust churned in my stomach.
“You killed my mother,” I spat at him, venom dripping from every word.
Without another glance, I turned on my heels and walked out of his office, leaving behind the man who had never wanted me to exist.