"Defend Me, Attorney." (Law Series #1)

PART SEVEN: THE GAME CHANGER

"WE ARE SADDENED BY THE NEWS," the judge said. "THE MOTHER OF THE ACCUSED, AND THE WIFE OF THE VICTIM, HAS DIED."

Murmuring.

My eyes grew bigger.

What...

I looked at Traise, both of us were shocked. His eyes were wide opened, with tears forming in them, and his jaw dropped.

I walked and kneeled in front of him.

He looked at me in the eyes.

"Si...si mama," he said, stuttering, tears in his eyes. "Si mama..." he said again, can't come up with anything to say. I hugged him.

"The court takes a break for an hour," the judge said.

Minutes had passed yet Traise can't stop crying. He was just crying without a sound. He looked so miserable, so disturbed, so devastated. He kept telling 'Si mama', 'Puntahan natin si mama.'

It broke me.

Until I saw a familiar figure in a nearby place, looking at us.

Aggressively, I walked towards him.

"Masaya ka na?" I asked." Masaya ka nang may nasisira kang buhay?"

Tyler's eyes went emotionless. "Hindi ko sinisira ang buhay nila. Sila ang gumawa ng krimen, sila ang sumisira ng buhay nila."

"Alam natin parehong it is a self-defense," I said. "Pero bakit...bakit ka nagkaganyan?"

"It's not my duty to prove his innocence, it's his defense counsel's. Don't blame me. In life, you have to turn a blind eye."

"What are you saying?" I asked furiously.

And in no time, a man in his 60's approached us.

"Dad..." Tyler, the prosecutor said.

It was the chief justice

I smirked bitterly. Now I think I know why he changed.

"Hope the power that you can get can also put you to sleep," I said bitterly while looking sharply in his eyes, and just then, I walked away.

When I went back to our place, Traise looked at me. Tears were glimmering  once again in his eyes.

"Let's talk," he said.

Minutes after, I found ourselves inside a room, with no one aside from us.

"Bakit?" I asked.

"I'll...I'll plea guilty," he said, his eyes now red.

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed. "No. We'll win this case!"

"This case has long been lost, hindi pa nagsisimula," he said. "Please. Let it be guilty..."

I looked into his eyes, he looked so miserable and it pierced me.

"Don't you think of what will your mom feel seeing his son being convicted? Can't you imagine what would she feel?"

"And can you imagine what I feel also?" he said, tears in his eyes again.

"Listen to me."

He cleared his throat.

"Growing up, I saw how miserable my life is. Dad will go home drunk, will beat mom to death, will seek for me but mom had hidden me and since I can't be found, she'll receive my beatings instead," his voice cracked.

"A day won't pass that she won't be receiving a slap. She'll work her ass off in the morning selling almusal, she'll go at your house for cleanings, and will fix things at our house at night. Wala s'yang pahinga, nabubugbog pa s'ya. I grew up witnessing that, and crying myself to sleep knowing I can't do anything. I have no dream for myself. I don't wanna be successful, I just wanna see my mom away from pain, away from abuses. I wanna see her smiling, like the last time I saw her in our house the night I poisoned dad. If you can only see that...those smile...hanggang ngayon naiisip ko pa rin 'yung ngiti na 'yun."