Jason suddenly brought up the topic, and Estre nced at him before responding with a smile,


    “What, you’re expecting me to make a scene? To hunt her down and get that ne back?”


    Jason hadn’t even opened his mouth to reply when Estre continued, “Don’t tell me you were using


    Serene to get under my skin. If you fancy…”


    She didn’t get to finish her sentence before Jason pulled her into his embrace and said, “Time to


    sleep.”


    Wrapped in Jason’s arms, Estre fell silent. After nestling against him for a while, shel lifted her head


    and looked at him. “Jason, you’ve got more on your mind than I do.”


    After saying that, Estre closed her eyes.


    Jason looked down at her, noticing her long eyshes as shey with her eyes closed, not trying to


    pull away. He turned and trapped her in his arms, one hand cradling the back of her neck, the other


    sliding down toward her waist.


    Estre caught his hand. “I’m really on my period this time. I’ll make it up to youter.”


    Pushing Jason away, Estre thought about how people have an innate desire for what they can’t


    have. She hadn’t even tried to seduce him tonight, just some idle chat, and he was already getting


    getting restless. Seeing her serious face and knowing she wasn’t lying about her cycle, Jason let her


    hand drift away.


    Estre felt a rush of frustration, but after Jason’s yful antics, she actually started to feel sleepy.


    Later, as he was wiping her hands, she drifted off to sleep.


    The next day, when Jason woke up, Estre was already gone from his side. As he got ready and


    came downstairs, Marie reported, “Sir, Ms. Estre had a case this morning and left for court an hour


    ago.”


    “Mm,” Jason acknowledged Marie and skipped breakfast at home, heading straight out.


    In the courtroom, before the session began, Estre had already arrived early. Today was the second


    hearing for Ryan’s case, and a verdict seemed likely.


    “Estre, you’re here early today.”


    “Yeah, got a case this morning,” Estre greeted with a smile, and after chatting briefly with a


    colleague, she got back to her own preparations.


    A few minutes before nine, with the judge, jury, and prosecution all present, Estre took her seat.


    As Ryan was brought in, Estre’s breathing slowed, her gaze fixed on him. When their


    11:35


    eyes m


    Ryan’s look brightened at the sight of Estre. It was as if he was thanking her with his eyes for her


    respect, dedication, and all the efforts she had made on his behalf, regardless of the oue.


    “October 2023,” the judge began, signaling the official start of the hearing.


    After the prosecution addressed some questions from thest session, Estre stood up. She nced


    at Ryan, then turned to the judge and jurors.


    “Your Honor, members of the jury, Ryan is used of causing fatal injuries to his biological father and


    uncles ten years ago, following his mother’s death due to domestic. violence. This is an irreversible


    tragedy that none of us wanted to witness.


    “But I believe that Ryan, more than anyone else, wished he never had to go through such an ordeal.


    He certainly didn’t want the blood of his rtives on his hands. If he could turn back time, he would


    wish for his mother to have never suffered that abuse, and to be there to watch him grow.


    “In this case, we can all see another fact: Ryan grew up in a fractured and even cruel environment,


    without proper guidance, or anyone teaching him to be like the rest of us.


    “Imagine a nine-year-old boy witnessing his mother’s murder. How has he spent these past ten years?


    What has kept him going? After leaving home, his father never once looked for him. Ryan survived by


    scavenging and working odd jobs on construction sites. “He had no friends; teachers or ssmates,


    not even someone to talk to.


    “Your Honor, while I can’t produce a psychiatric evaluation for Ryan, everyone here can see that this


    young man’s psychological development is not intact.


    “Moreover, I visited Ryan’s hometown recently and gathered some recollections from neighbors about


    the incident back then and their impressions of Ryan as a child. If the prosecution would like, we can


    listen to these witness statements first. And if necessary, I can bring these witnesses to testifyter on.”


    Moved by Estre’s passionate plea, the judge said, “The court agrees to hear the testimonies of the


    community witnesses.”


    With the judge’s approval, Estre nced at Arden, who started the video yback.


    “I was there that day. Nothing could stop the Manning brothers. They beat that poor woman to death-so


    brutally. The child was crying beside them, begging his father to stop, only to be kicked away.”


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    “We tried to intervene, but those Manning brothers were vicious. They threatened us too, saying a wife


    is there to be beaten.”


    “That kid, Ryan, such a tragic soul. He was so well-behaved, a good student, and his mother was a


    quiet soul, always busy with chores. After she died, the father locked him in


    11:55


    with the pigs, wouldn’t even let the grandparents take him, and stopped his schooling. That boy s


    suffered too much, and when he finally did what he did none of us could me hi


    The Manning family had iting; they beat a good woman to death.”


    “Ryan was such a good kid back then, always helping his mom, and he was always by her side. His


    dad was a drunk, and whenever he drank, he’d beat them both. It’s a good thing. Ryan got away;


    otherwise, he might’ve been killed too.”


    “Ryan, though he’d only graced our school for a mere two years, was a docile kid with a sharp mind.


    His report cards boasted nothing but straight A’s, a testament to his brilliance. But word around town


    was that trouble hit home, and his dad pulled him out of school. The rest… well.” the teacher who once


    guided Ryan through his lessons trailed off, leaving the story hanging in a heavy silence.


    “What did the kid do to deserve any of this? An eye for an eye, they say. His mom was taken from him,


    and he just evened the score. Isn’t that justifiable? What kind of man would he be if he didn’t stand up


    for himself?”


    “Ryan was such a sweet child, always aiming to please. If it weren’t for the misfortune of being born to


    that man, he’d have made something of himself, no doubt about it.”


    “Ryan’s life was tough, and so was his mother’s, a real tragedy. We all cling to the hope that he’lle


    out of this unscathed because we know deep down, he wouldn’t hurt a soul.”


    “Ryan…”


    Estre had interviewed many-neighbors of Ryan’s, salt-of-the-earth types, farmers through and


    through. Their testimonies were firsthand ounts of what they’d witnessed back in the day. Mention


    Ryan’s biological father and his uncles, and you could see the collective shake of their heads.


    They


    ey were the vige tyrants, having snuffed out a life without a shred of remorse and continued to reign


    with iron fists.


    As Ryan gazed upon the familiar faces of his childhood, his eyes brimmed with tears, mirroring the


    emotion welling up in everyone present. A nket of silence fell upon them, each lost in their own


    thoughts of a past that refused to be forgotten.