The courtroom erupted into a wave of whispers and murmurs. "Order, order in court!" The judge's voice cut through the chaos. The room slowly fell silent once more. The judge's gaze turned to me, his eyes stern. "Mr. Clarck, do you have anything to say?"
I stood up straight, my voice clear and firm. "Mrs. Blaze had gone to a meeting with a client who turned out to be a rapist. She called me, I helped her, and she pressed charges. Her husband, Harry, was out of the country at the time, but he is aware of the situation. It is all documented in the police records."
Harry's face reddened with anger as he shot back, "I am aware that you saved her, but I am not aware that she called you 'babe'." His voice dripped with accusation and jealousy.
I attempted to explain. "She had to make the man believe I was her husband."
Isla raised from her seat in anger, her voice laced with accusation. "Hmmmm, you think we believe that?"
"Sit down, Miss Sanders, let's continue." The judge's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze fixed intently on her.
The courtroom fell silent once again as another audio recording was played.
The voice once again belonged to Mrs. Blaze, it was laced with desperation and longing, "Babe, I need you, I miss you so much, don't you care about me anymore?"
It took me a minute to recall this specific recording. "You see, Damen, you are now speechless," Harry said, his voice filled with hurt. "I treated you like a son, and this is how you repay me."
The pain in Harry's voice cut deep into my heart. I tried to explain to him. "This is all a huge set up, Harry. That message was meant for you, not me. She only accidentally forwarded it to me. I wish she were here to explain herself."
"She is not here because you killed her!" Harry's words sliced through me like a dagger, his sobs echoing through the air as he crumpled to the ground. "Oh, my beautiful Zoey, even if you betrayed me, I still love you!" The crowd shouted insults at me, the media snapping photos and videos. Meanwhile I stood frozen, my heart heavy with the weight of Harry's mistrust.
The judge's firm voice cut through the chaos. "Order, order! Let's give Mr. Blaze a moment to compose himself. Then, we will proceed with the trial." The room fell silent once again.
The prosecutor addressed me again. "With the evidence we have, Mr. Clark, why not just plead guilty and cooperate with the court? It may lead to a reduced sentence." Her eyes locked onto mine, searching for any sign of weakness or surrender.
My lawyer's voice cut through my emotional turmoil. "Your Honor, we are here to determine guilt or innocence in a murder case, not infidelity. Beyond the screenshots and recordings, do we have any concrete evidence linking my client to Mrs. Blaze's murder?"
My sister had hired a brilliant lawyer, but I didn't want Isla behind bars.
The prosecutor's eyes lit up with a hint of excitement as she announced, "I have a witness who will testify against the defendant."
Isla stepped forward, her voice steady as she swore to tell the truth. "I saw him trying to hide Zoey's body," she stated, her eyes locked on mine. The courtroom was in an uproar.
The judge's words hung in the air, a mixture of warning and offer. "We will give the defendant time to consider his response. If you plead guilty and spare the court further proceedings, your sentence will be reduced." The judge's eyes locked onto mine, before dismissing the court for a break.
I was sitting silently in a room with my lawyer when Harry walked in, his eyes locking onto mine in a silent, intense stare. We sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity.
Harry's voice broke the silence, his words filled with sadness. "You have aged, Damen."
The words slipped out, "You too, old man," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.
I witnessed the different emotions that crossed Harry's face when I used his nickname. Surprise, pain, and sadness all at once.
When he spoke, his voice was filled with anger and hurt. "I can't believe you used to call me that, while you slept with her. Did you have any respect for me?"
I held Harry's gaze, my voice firm and sincere. "I have never slept with your wife or had any intentions of touching her." I replied, "You know I didn't kill her."
Harry's eyes dropped, and he nodded slowly. "I know Isla killed her, she saw the video of both of you at the beach."
"What?!" I exclaimed, shock evident on my face.
Harry's voice trembled with emotion. "She took what is mine. I am exhausted. I hope this case is closed earlier, I just want closure. Seeing her blame you publicly, yet she is guilty angered me. I was tempted to reveal the truth in court. I think I will find peace, If you both ended up in prison. That's why I came here. I am not sure I can keep my promise to you anymore." With that, he turned and walked away.
"Harry, wait! Please don't do this!" I pleaded, but he didn't stop.
I turned to my lawyer, my voice firm. "If we go in there, I will plead guilty. Don't try anything."
My lawyer's eyes widened in alarm. "What? But you have a chance to win this case, verbal accusation might not have any power. Most especially if the witness has a good reason to lie." He tried reasoning with me.
My voice was firm. "I've made up my mind. I'm pleading guilty."
The courtroom proceedings were quickly finalized, and I was sentenced to twenty five years in prison. But my mind wasn't on the verdict. All I cared about was Harry and Isla, and what they thought about me.
As I was led to the dressing room to change, I noticed Harry head towards the toilets. I immediately came up with an excuse to use the restroom.
As I was being escorted to the prisoner's restroom, I caught sight of VD and Quinton. I discreetly sent them a signal, and in an instant, my guards were out cold.
"Let me come with you Damen, it's dangerous" VD pleaded.
"Don't worry VD, I need to do this alone." I said, my voice low and even.
"Please, let us help you. You are already in this mess because of her, we have plans, boss," Quinton said.
"Prison or no prison, we proceed," I said firmly, before turning to them. "Send someone on Thursday next week, I will give you a go-ahead." With that, I swiftly turned and sprinted towards the restroom.
Standing outside the toilet, I took a deep breath, mentally rehearsing the words I needed to say to convince Harry that I had never been involved with his wife.
Slowly I opened the door, my eyes widened in horror, my breath caught in my throat as my mind struggled to process the scene before me.