Datche Reese Rivera never imagined she'd be sitting in a courtroom, accused of a murder she didn't commit. The whispers, the accusing stares-it's as if the verdict has already been decided before the trial even begins. But what cuts the deepest is t...
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"Did you really kill her?"
"What's your motive for killing the victim?"
"Dahil ba sa pera kaya niyo nagawang pumatay?"
Those questions are repeatedly asked by people and it felt suffocating. Iyong hindi ka pa man sumasagot ay tila ba may sagot na sila sa isipan nila at iyon ang paniniwalaan nila.
Pakiramdam ko, bawat segundong tumatagal ay nilalamon ako ng kaba at takot. Ang sikip sa dibdib dahil kahit ang simpleng paghinga ay hindi ko magawa nang maayos. Every time na tumatayo ako, I could feel my knees trembling as if it's going to disown me anytime.
These past few weeks, parati akong tinatanong ng mga tao— investigator, lawyers, and even the media. Kahit sa panaginip ko ay naroon sila. They want me to pay for a sin I didn't even commit. That's what they wanted from the very beginning—to see me break down, to watch me ruined.
"All rise." The bailiff's voice boomed in the courtroom like a thunderstorm.
Para akong natulos sa kinauupuan ko nang pumasok ang isa sa mga iginagalang ng tao. Suot-suot niya ang kulay lila na kopa sa kanyang likod at walang emosyon ang mukha nitong humarap sa amin.
It was the Judge.
I couldn't help but hold my breath. The atmosphere became still, and I could feel the tension in the whole room. The air was so tense and it felt suffocating. Nakakamatay. Nakakaubos. Para akong masusuka sa kaba. Nakadagdag pa sa kaba at takot ko ang malamig na simoy ng aircon.
With my knees trembling, I force myself to stood up, along with everyone else in the room.
My heart was pounding inside my chest as the bailiff stepped forward and announced the case. "Your Honor, today's case is Divina Rivera vs. Datche Reese Rivera," he announced and his voice echoed inside the room again as if it was a thunderstorm.
Isang mapanuring tingin ang itinapon ng Judge sa akin bago siya bumaling sa kabilang kampo. "Is the prosecution ready?" He asked. Punong-puno ng otoridad ang boses niya na tila ba sa tono pa lamang ng pananalita nito ay batid mo ng makapangyarihan siya.
Hanz Gazzer Herrera, the prosecuting attorney, stood up and replied, "Yes, your honor."He answered back. Napaka-kaswal ng tono niya na para bang isa lamang itong normal na pagtitipon. Walang bahid ng kahit konting kaba ang mukha niya, at kahit sa paraan ng pag tindig niya.
Agad akong napatingin sa babaeng nakatayo sa gilid ko nang magsalita iyo. "Yes, Your Honor."
Just like everyone, wala ring bahid ng kaba ang boses niya. Matuwid siyang nakatayo at bahagyang nakataas ang kanyang baba na para bang sinasabi niyang wala pa mang resulta ay mananalo siya.
Kalliandra Madrigal—my greatest rival in college, the woman I despised most. Who would have thought that, in the end, she would be the one to defend my name against the world?
