Chapter 17 — Once I don't hold back, your whole family has to pay the price

The day I left the hospital… the weather was beautiful. Luc Trach came to pick me up, the sunlight passed through the glass door, falling on me, warm like a new beginning. The bandage on the head has been removed. Only a faint scar remains... hidden in her hair. He looked at me... his eyes were so gentle that I had never seen them before.

“Welcome back, lawyer Lam.”

He smiled. I also laughed. Yes… I'm back. Carry the wound. But also carry... armor. The Chu family's debt... it's time to pay it off. The courtroom... was solemn and cold. I sat in the plaintiff's chair, next to Luc Trach, calm as always. The opposite side... is the defendant. Chu Minh wore prison clothes, his head was cut short, his whole body was emaciated, his eyes were empty. Next to him... is a young lawyer, even more stressed than his client. Behind, her mother-in-law and Chu Dong sat in the audience seats, their faces as gray as ash, their eyes filled with hatred and fear. The trial begins. Luc Trach stood up. His voice was clear and decisive, echoing throughout the room. He did not say emotional words. Just give the facts. From calls related to five computers... to evidence of Chu Dong stealing bracelets and pawn shop records. Then came Chu Minh's defamatory online article. Each piece of evidence... pounded down like a hammer. Views, shares... are fully notarized. A complete chain of evidence... irrefutable. The comments that used to curse me… appeared on the big screen. Each sentence... like a knife, but now, becomes evidence. Chu Minh's face turned white. He bowed his head... not daring to look. His lawyer wanted to argue several times. But before Luc Trach's strict argument... there is absolutely no chance. Mother-in-law and Chu Dong sat in the back... shaking like leaves. The "tricks" they were once proud of... have now become a farce before the law. Luc Trach gave the final evidence. Underground parking camera video. The recording… the entire push made me fall. In the recording, every detail is chillingly clear. How Chu Minh stopped me in front of the car, pulled me away, and finally put all his strength into pushing me down. The moment the back of my head hit the car body, blood flowed out... appearing clearly under the lens. The whole courtroom... was in an uproar. When Chu Minh saw that part, his whole body trembled as if he had been electrocuted. He looked up and looked at me, his eyes filled with panic and regret.

“No… I didn't mean it… I really didn't mean it…”

His voice trembled, lost. But in the face of clear evidence… all excuses are meaningless. There's no place left to hide. Luc Trach stood straight. His voice rang out, cold and firm.

"Defendant Chu Minh, because of marital conflicts, developed resentment towards the plaintiff."

"First use social networks to fabricate and slander, seriously damaging Lam Thu's reputation."

“Then continued to use violence in public, causing a mild concussion and lacerations to the head.”

“The conduct constitutes defamation and intentional injury.”

"The defendant's mother and sister also participated in slander and caused trouble at the hospital, obstructing judicial activities."

“We request the court to handle it strictly according to the law.”

Each sentence, each word... was like a hammer pounding down. Sealing the fate of the entire Chu family into a pillar of humiliation. The hammer knocked down. Go to the final speech. Chu Minh... collapsed. He jumped up, without letting the lawyer stop him, turned towards me, tears streaming down his face.

"Thu Thu! You're wrong! You're really wrong!"

“Remembering the love between husband and wife... I forgive you Is this okay this time?

“I don't want to go to jail… I really don't want to…”

His voice cracked. Below, her mother-in-law and Chu Dong also knelt down. Crying, begging.

“Lam Thu! Please!”

“Consider taking pity on us!”

The entire courtroom... turned into a stage for their tears. A final drama... of those who have no way back. They want to use their old love... to tie me down. Wanting to use tears... in exchange for forgiveness. I looked at them. Three faces were disheveled, distorted with fear. But in my heart... there's nothing left. Not angry. No pity. No fluctuations. I stood up.