On the courthouse rooftop, the wind blew violently, whipping their clothes and creating a dull roar that drowned out the murmur of the city.
Standing at the edge of the precipice, Lief observed the incessant river of traffic and human ants flowing meters below, with a blank stare.
"Aren't you going to stay for the final act?" John asked, taking a step closer to the railing with curiosity shining in his eyes. "That little play down there is a production of your mother's, after all."
But Lief didn't bother to turn his head.
"I have no interest in playing god, nor in seeing how your chips fall," he replied coldly, rejecting the offer.
"..."
John let out a raspy laugh, a dry sound that was immediately dispersed by the gusts of wind.
"I see... A pity, boy. You have the talent, but you lack ambition... Anyway, it seems the drama down there has already brought down the curtain."
"..."
Lief turned around slowly and behind him there was no one left.
The rooftop was empty... the only thing remaining floating in the air was a barely perceptible trace of expensive cologne.
Without giving it much thought, Lief pushed open the heavy door leading to the staircase and began to descend.
When he returned to the main floor where the courtroom was located, the solemn atmosphere had been replaced by absolute chaos.
The hallway had become a shark tank.
The reporters, smelling the blood of a high-profile scandal, pushed frantically forward, creating a human wall of microphones and cameras.
Flashes went off like an incessant thunderstorm, illuminating everyone's faces with a stroboscopic pallor.
At the epicenter of that whirlwind was Lloyd Gettys.
The "good teacher" had already been handcuffed and was being dragged away by two robust bailiffs. His neat appearance had vanished, his thinning hair was messed up into a rat's nest, his tie was crooked, and he struggled against his captors.
"Liars! You're all damn liars!" he howled, spitting saliva as he tried to turn around. His crazed gaze found someone in the crowd. "Kevin! You useless bastard! You took my money! You promised me I'd win! You've ruined me! YOU'VE DESTROYED MY LIFE!"
However, no one cared about his wailing.
To the press, he was already ancient history.
The camera lenses quickly turned toward the other side of the hallway.
Kevin was standing there, motionless in the middle of the current, rigid as a statue.
His former colleagues, assistants, and admirers, those who hours before orbited around him seeking his favor, now physically stepped away from him, creating a circle of isolation.
No one dared to get close.
In an instant, the golden boy of the legal system had become a pariah.
His world had been turned upside down in less than sixty minutes.
But suddenly, the crowd parted automatically, opening a respectful path.
Sarah Connor emerged from the courtroom, flanked by Barbara and Emily.
The two girls walked close to her, seeking protection under her aura of authority; although their faces were still swollen and marked by recent crying, their backs were straight for the first time in months.
They were no longer isolated victims hiding, they were survivors who had just slain the dragon.
Sarah's footsteps resonated firmly on the marble floor until stopping right in front of Kevin.
The deafening noise of the hallway seemed to be sucked out.
Silence fell heavily while everyone's gazes focused on the two of them: the undefeated queen and the fallen prince.
Kevin slowly lifted his face, which now had a sickly color.
He looked Sarah in the eyes, and his lips moved soundlessly for a long moment, searching for words but finding none.
"... Congratulations..." He finally spoke. "On your eighty-ninth consecutive victory."
"..."
But Sarah's expression showed not an ounce of triumph at his congratulation, her face remained serene.
In these "wars" there are no true winners.
"Kevin, a long time ago I stopped keeping count of my victories and defeats...," she replied with a soft but firm voice. "Winning or losing is irrelevant when it comes to human lives. The only thing that matters tonight is that those girls, whom the system was willing to silence, finally obtained justice and were heard...."
She paused deliberately, looking deeply into the young lawyer's empty eyes, and added, "I only hope, sincerely, that what you did today does not become the ghost that visits you in the nights of the future, when you toss and turn in bed unable to forgive yourself."
"There are certain choices, Kevin, certain boundaries we cross for ambition, the price of which keeps charging us interest for the rest of our lives."
Kevin's body trembled. Sarah's words were more lethal than any interrogation, they pierced effortlessly through his defenses and drove directly into a heart that was already being devoured by guilt.
Regret? Regret was already a bitter taste in his mouth.
From the moment he decided to take out that notebook, using the confusion and teenage angst of a girl to assassinate her character in front of a jury, he had already lost.
He hadn't lost to Sarah Connor... he had lost to the man he swore he would never be.
Just at that moment, when he felt that his knees were about to give way under the weight of his own guilt, a warm and delicate hand gently held his arm.
Kevin turned his head stiffly and saw her.
Mary Ann...
There was his wife, like an angel descending into hell.
She was wearing a simple black strap dress that revealed her pale skin, and a white pearl necklace rested on her neck, shining with a purity that contrasted painfully with him... Her hair, a messy and beautiful cascade of golden curls, framed a face full of concern.
She said nothing, she simply stood by his side, ignoring the cameras and the judgments of strangers, using her own body heat to support him.
Mary didn't understand the legal technicalities or the trial strategy, but she could feel her husband's fractured pain, and that was the only thing that mattered to her.
Kevin's last line of defense broke completely upon seeing her.
He lowered his head, defeated, and buried his face deeply in her shoulder.
"I-I'm sorry..." he whispered. "Thank you..."
"..."
Sarah watched the scene feeling a mixture of pity and respect for the woman holding him, and without saying more, she turned around, preparing to leave the building.
She had won... but she didn't feel even the slightest joy.
Only the tired relief of having cleaned a very ugly stain from the world.
At that moment, Lief separated himself from the shadow of a column, walked with a relaxed pace through the crowd that instinctively parted in his path, and stopped naturally beside his mother.
He cast one last look at Kevin and then looked at his mother, offering her a radiant smile.
"Let's go, Mom. It's time to go home."
________
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