Never Be Apart

CHAPTER 28

We're here now, watching the first—and last—trial for my father's case. Ashden didn't come, and I don't know why. He just said his mom needed him, so we let it go. We were all watching intently when suddenly someone walked in and introduced themselves as a witness.

"Witness?" I said, shocked. I glanced at Haruki, and she looked just as confused. The others turned to me, shrugged, and looked equally puzzled.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" the prosecutor asked the witness seriously.

"Yes," the witness answered confidently. I stared at the witness, trying to figure out who she was. She looked to be in her 40s, and from her appearance, she seemed like a housemaid. I glanced at Mr. Santos, who was sitting confidently on the side.

"You may begin the questioning," the judge said, drawing our attention. I had a bad feeling about this judge because I knew he had already spoken to Mr. Santos. It felt like the case was already paid off before it even started. I was also preparing myself for the possibility that we would lose, which is why I was ready to broadcast the evidence I had. I left it at home because I knew it was safe there. Only the four of us knew where it was.

"First of all, I'd like to point out that there is no proof that Mr. Santos was behind the ambush, and this case lacks witnesses and evidence. So, we can conclude that Mr. Santos committed no crime," said Mr. Santos's lawyer, Attorney Arthur Aaren Anderson, confidently.

Hearing that made me stand up. What was he saying about lacking evidence?! I looked at our attorney, who was just sitting there with his head down, reading through his papers. I was about to yell at him, but Aki grabbed my arm tightly. I glared at her, but she just shook her head and motioned for me to sit down. I had no choice but to obey.

The trial lasted three hours, and in the end, we lost. Our attorney didn't do anything, and I couldn't help but be furious at Haruki. She just sat there with her head down while I cried and yelled at her. She kept apologizing, saying our attorney was good and that she didn't know why things turned out this way.

On the way home, I was determined to release the CCTV footage to the public. I didn't care who I'd be up against now. The only thing that mattered to me was getting the justice my father deserved.

I couldn't believe Mr. Santos got away with it! Was it because he had enough money to bribe the judge? Tears continued to fall as we made our way home. The three were silent too, feeling the pain I was going through. When I got home I quickly got out of the car and went straight to my room. I was stunned to see how messy my room was when I walked in! I even dropped the phone I was holding. It looked like a storm had hit. Everything was all over the place. I felt a wave of panic and quickly ran to my bookshelves where I kept the flash drive. My hands went cold when I realized I couldn't find it. I heard Haruki following me, and she was just as shocked by the mess.