His Perfect Wife Strikes Back

162 Prison

One morning, a week after I went to prison, the guards told me I could meet my lawyer in 10 minutes. I tried to control my excitement, hoping that Tommy would bring me some good news during this meeting.

The guards took me to the visiting room. This time, Frade came with Tommy. I can't be too excited, because the guards are watching next to us.

Frade looked at me deeply, and I could see the worry in his eyes. As I sat down, Frade pretended to hold a pen and write in a notebook. I guess he was pretending to be Tommy's assistant, so he was allowed to come with Tommy to see me.

"Based on the evidence we have so far, Lydia was indeed pronounced dead the day after she fell and was brought to the hospital," Tommy said in a difficult tone, pausing for a long moment before continuing. "The chances of winning this case are slim."

Frade was silent. He wanted to say something but held back. I knew he was worried about the guards.

'Honey, don't worry about me.' I looked him in the eye and told him it wasn't over yet.

He put his hand on the table and touched me when the guards weren't looking. That was enough, as long as I could feel his warmth.

"We tried to contact Mikeal to negotiate, but he refused," Tommy said in a despondent tone.

"I already know that," I said calmly. "If we lose this case, will my child spend the rest of his life in prison with me until he is born?"

Yes, I was ready to go to jail. Mikeal refused to negotiate. His intentions were clear. He wants me to rot in jail for the rest of my life and get my mother's inheritance.

"When the baby is born, the guards will hand it over to your family," Tommy said. "During your pregnancy, the guards will take you to the hospital regularly for medical check-ups."

"The judge hasn't found Eva guilty yet," Frade said in a low voice, trying to contain his anger. "Don't you think it's too soon to say that?"

"Frade, come on," I whispered to him. "We have to think of the baby."

"God won't let you spend the rest of your life in prison." Frade stared at me. "Trust me."

Oh, I know exactly what he meant by that. He wants to settle this by force. No, don't be silly.

"There are some things we can't change," I whispered. "We have to accept the consequences, for the sake of our unborn child."

Frade was silent, and Tommy let out a soft sigh. I guess he was going to tell me what they decided next.

"If you confess to Lydia's murder, I'll ask the judge for a reduced sentence," Tommy said, looking away, obviously making a difficult decision.

"Confess?" I murmured. "But I'm not even sure I killed Lydia. How can I confess to murdering her?"

"If you're not wrong," Frade said, "You don't have to confess. We're still working on it."

"Frade, this is our decision," Tommy said, turning to him. "Don't make a promise to Eva when there is no hope."

At this time, the prison guard made a cough."Five minutes until the meeting is over."

"Tommy, thank you for everything." I stood up. "But I didn't kill Lydia."

"Eva, wait," Tommy called out to me.

"If the result is the same next time, there will be no need for us to meet again." I gave Frade one last look before I left. "For the sake of this unborn child, don't do anything stupid."

I will not confess, and I will not have my child born of a murderer's child.

The guards took me back to the prison, and over the next few days, Eric came to see me. He tried to get me to confess. He tried all sorts of temptations and threats. He even had the guards deny me dinner on purpose, or put me in a room with another vicious-looking female inmate.

But the inmate let me off the hook when she learned I was pregnant. She told me that Eric wanted her to make me confess. If she succeeded, Eric promised to get her a reduced sentence.

She agreed, but when she learned what had happened to me, she didn't think she could do it.

Women always lean on each other when the chips are down. On the third day I was with this inmate, she was taken away by the guards. I didn't even get to ask her name. She told me that the inmates in the prison called her baker.

As the days passed, I forced myself to pull myself together.

It's not over yet.

The court was about to start, and the guards gave me a day's notice that they would take me to court the next day. The night before, they served me bread and bacon for dinner. It was better than anything I'd had since I'd been in prison.

I sat on the bed with my plate and tasted the food. I watched the light from the window grow smaller and smaller until it was gone.

Never mind, there will be light again tomorrow.

On the morning of the trial, the guards woke me up at six o'clock. I hadn't slept all night, and I had mixed feelings. One minute I was nervous, the next I was excited.

The guard told me to go to the bathroom to take a shower, and this time she gave me a bar of rose-scented soap. I washed my body alone in the big bathroom. I cleaned every corner of my body.

I was clean, including my mind.

In court, I saw Tommy and Frade again. Tommy sat in the defence chair, and Frade sat in the first row of the audience. As I walked down the aisle, his eyes never left me.

I was afraid to look at him. I was afraid I was going to miss him.

The prosecutor's representatives were Eric and his deputy, David, who had come prepared. His accusations sound like flies in my ears, and I'm not going to take them seriously.

Despite his best efforts to refute his accuser's claims, the evidence was overwhelming. These counter-arguments are weak.

Although we already know the result, we will still work hard for it.

"Eva Green." The grey-haired judge's voice lingered in my ear. "Do you confess to the murder of your stepmother, Lydia?"

I kept silent, scanning the jury and the strangers in the audience. They all looked at me with varying degrees of anger, doubt, and disdain.

Maybe they were waiting for a confession. Like the finale of a murder movie, the movie ends when the final mastermind confesses.

No, not ended yet.

"Eva Green." The judge raised his voice. "I ask you, will you confess to the murder of your stepmother, Lydia?"

Just then, the door of the court opened. Two people came running in, one behind the other. It was Mark and Liv.

Mark rushed to Tommy with a file and whispered in his ear. Then Tommy stands up and speaks excitedly to the judge.

"Your honour, since we have the latest evidence that the deceased was not killed by Eva Green, I would like to request a recess."

"Objection," Eric countered.

"Overruled." The judge hammered his hammer. "The defence may take its evidence to court. I now declare a 10-minute recess."

Liv stood in the middle of the aisle, lip-synching to me.

We are sure to win.