Chapter 19 — The Photograph Without a Third Person

On the morning of the hearing, the sky was a rare blue sky after many gloomy days. Lieutenant Hoai came to pick Ha up at exactly seven o'clock as scheduled, escorting her in a police car to the court where the hearing would take place.

When the car stopped in front of the court gate, Ha saw a crowd of reporters who had gathered early, along with a number of curious people who had followed the case through the news in recent days. She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm before getting out of the car.

Gia Bao was already waiting in the entrance hall, along with Mrs. Kim Oanh and Gia Huy. He wore a simple but neat suit, his face was tense but his eyes contained a determination that Ha had never seen so clearly.

"Ready?" she asked softly as she approached him.

"I think I've been waiting for this moment for four years," Gia Bao replied, holding her hand tightly for a moment before they had to enter separate courtrooms as required.

The hearing room wasn't too big, but it was packed with people — representatives of the parties involved, lawyers, a three-judge jury, and a designated area for the press that had been arranged to watch via closed-circuit screens. Tran Dat sat on the opposite side, along with a large team of lawyers. His face remained cold, but Ha could see a hidden tension in his eyes.

The hearing began with the presentation of Minh Tuan, the main legal representative for Gia Bao in this case. He presented each piece of evidence clearly and logically — the technical report with Gia Bao's signature, Tran Dat's handwritten note refusing the request to stop construction, the official inspection conclusion about the dangerous condition of the Lam Dien project, and finally the DNA test results confirming the blood relationship.

When it was Gia Bao's turn to present his testimony, the entire courtroom fell into absolute silence. He tells the whole story — from the discovery of the structural crack, to the threatened meeting, to the rigging accident, and four years of living anonymously under a name that is not his. His voice trembled in some parts, but never lost his steadfastness.

"I'm not standing here demanding revenge," he said, concluding his testimony. "I stand here to reclaim the right to be oneself — a right that every human being deserves, not a privilege bestowed upon them by others."

Tran Dat's lawyer tried to question harshly, questioning Gia Bao's motives, even trying to imply that the whole story could be a plot orchestrated by Ha and Gia Bao themselves to blackmail the group. But with Minh Tuan's careful preparation, each question was answered firmly, without revealing any loopholes.

When it was Ms. Kim Oanh's turn to testify, she told, her voice choked but not afraid, about how she had secretly kept in touch with her son for four years, and about how Tran Dat had threatened her entire family to force Gia Bao to disappear.

"I was wrong to stay silent for so long," she said, looking straight at Tran Dat. "But today, I will not be silent another moment."

Gia Huy also testified, confirming everything he knew, admitting his role in keeping quiet for four years, and describing in detail the meeting in which Tran Dat threatened both brothers to force them to comply with his plan.

When it was Tran Dat's turn to be confronted, he tried to deny, blaming "misunderstanding" and "personal initiative of some subordinates", but in the face of a huge amount of evidence and consistent testimony from many independent witnesses, his defenses became increasingly weak and unconvincing.

At noon, when the hearing adjourned, Ha walked out into the hallway with Gia Bao, both emotionally exhausted but also full of hope.

"Things are going better than I thought," Gia Bao said, his voice somewhat relieved.

"I think so too," Ha replied, holding his hand tightly. "The afternoon will be the most important part — when the jury makes its official conclusion."

They stood together in the hallway, not saying much, simply enjoying the rare moment of peace amid the storm of tension, mentally preparing themselves for the rest of this fateful day.

Dieu Thao brought two lunch boxes that she had prepared early in the morning, knowing that neither of them would be in the mood to find a place to eat during their short break. "Eat something," she urged, placing the lunch box in Ha's hand. "The afternoon is still long, you need to keep your strength."

Ha forced a smile and accepted the lunch box even though her stomach tightened with nervousness. "Thank you, Thao. I don't know how I would have managed without you by my side all this time."

"Don't say that," Dieu Thao replied, her eyes also filled with tears. "We're a team, from start to finish."

Khanh Vy also appeared during her lunch break, carrying an additional set of documents she had just found this morning — another email from her father's old mailbox, confirming more details about the "special consulting fee" related to Mr. Dang Van Son's case. She handed the document to Minh Tuan, who immediately reviewed it to decide whether to include it in the afternoon presentation or not.

"You don't have to do this," Gia Bao told Khanh Vy, his voice filled with gratitude. "You've been a great help."

"I did it because I believed it was the right thing to do," Khanh Vy replied, looking straight into his eyes — the first time the two, linked through a complicated family relationship, were actually facing each other. "I'm sorry for what my husband's family has done to you. No apology is enough, but I want you to know, I stand by the truth."

Gia Bao nodded, moved beyond words by the heart of a woman who should have been just a stranger to him, but chose to stand on the side of justice even though it could destroy her own marriage.

When the lunch break was almost over, Minh Tuan gathered everyone together one last time to review the strategy for the afternoon trial. "We have presented all the evidence and witnesses," he said. "In the afternoon, the jury will allow the defendant to present its final argument, then deliberate and make a preliminary conclusion. I believe that with the amount of evidence we have presented, the result will be in our favor."

"But is there still a chance they'll delay it further?" Ha asked, unable to hide her worry.

"Maybe," Minh Tuan admitted. "But whether the conclusion comes today or takes more time, we have laid a solid foundation for justice. No one can deny the truth that was clearly presented to the court today."

When the bell rang signaling the afternoon trial was about to begin, the group stood up, preparing to return to the courtroom. Gia Bao squeezed Ha's hand one last time before they had to sit in separate positions according to court regulations.

“Whatever happens,” he said quietly, “thank you for accompanying me all this way.”

"This is just the beginning," Ha replied, smiling through her rising anxiety. "We'll go the rest of the way together, wherever it leads."

They returned to the courtroom and took their seats. Ha glanced at Tran Dat one last time before the afternoon trial began. He sat there, his back straight, his face still trying to remain calm, but his hand on the table trembled slightly — a small but undisguised sign of someone who clearly felt the approaching collapse.

The presiding judge knocked his gavel and announced the official start of the afternoon trial. "We will hear the defendant's final argument," she said, her voice stern.

Tran Dat's lawyer stood up, trying to make a series of arguments to alleviate his client's responsibility — that he was just "implementing the collective decision of the board of directors", that there was "no direct evidence" that he personally ordered the accident. But those arguments sound increasingly weak in the face of the voluminous evidence presented throughout the morning.

Ha sat still, hands gripping the edge of the chair, listening to every word with a pounding heart. She glanced at Gia Bao and saw him sitting straight, his eyes never leaving the jury, waiting for the decisive moment.

After both sides had finished presenting, the jury announced a recess to deliberate. The waiting time seemed endless, each passing minute seemed like an hour. Ha felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest when the door to the deliberation room finally opened, and the three judges walked back to their positions.

The presiding judge looked around the courtroom once before starting to read the conclusion. "After reviewing all the evidence and testimony presented," she said, her voice echoing throughout the absolutely silent room, "the jury found that there was sufficient basis to conclude that Mr. Phan Gia Bao was the victim of an intentional conspiracy to conceal responsibility for the construction safety incident, carried out by Mr. Tran Dat and a number of related individuals."

A collective sigh rang out throughout the courtroom. Ha felt tears begin to fall and couldn't hold back any longer.

"We decided to restore Mr. Phan Gia Bao's full legal identity and cancel all related false death records," the chairman continued. "At the same time, the criminal case related to acts of intentionally causing injury, threatening life, and falsifying records will be forwarded for trial in accordance with the criminal law process."

Gia Bao sat motionless for a moment, as if not daring to believe what he had just heard. Then, slowly, he turned to look at Ha, his eyes filled with tears and a happiness that he had not dared to hope for four long years.

“I can be myself,” he whispered, his voice choked with extreme emotion.

Ha couldn't hold back anymore, she stood up, disregarding the solemn rules of the courtroom, ran to hug him. "You did it," she said through tears. "Finally, I can be myself."

Around them, Mrs. Kim Oanh hugged both her sons tightly, her tears flowing continuously. Gia Huy, even though he knew he would still have to face legal responsibility for his role, could not hide his joy because his brother had finally been exonerated. Minh Tuan and Dieu Thao stood looking at that scene, both moved to tears by the results of a long and arduous journey.

On the opposite side, Tran Dat sat silently, his face pale when he heard the court police approaching to carry out arrest procedures according to court orders. He no longer had the cold authority he once had, only the image of a man facing the consequences of wrong choices over many years remained.

When Ha and Gia Bao finally walked out of the court, the bright afternoon sunlight greeted them, a far cry from the tense atmosphere of the morning. A crowd of reporters gathered around, but this time, there were no longer suspicious or nosy questions, but sincere congratulations for a person who had finally regained himself.

"Four years," Gia Bao said softly, looking up at the clear blue sky, "four years I lived like a ghost. But today, I have truly returned."

Ha held his hand tightly, looking into his eyes - eyes that were now no longer filled with the fatigue and fear of four years living in the dark, but filled with the light of a new future waiting ahead.