In Court, They Lost More Than the Case

The moment those words left my mouth, a high heel flew straight at me.

I wasn't fast enough to dodge it. Blood gushed from my forehead, blurring my vision. The roar of insults from the audience, however, was crystal clear.

"Rot in hell, you bitch! She saved your life, and this is how you act?"

"Exactly! You should've died in the crash. Just die, Wanda! A piece of trash like you is wasting oxygen by being alive."

The crowd grew more and more enraged by the second. A few people even managed to scramble to the defendant's seat, grabbing my hair and smashing my head against the wall.

I yanked the attacker's hand away and brushed the hair out of my face—only to see that the one grabbing my hair was Bruce, and the one kicking me in the stomach was Sean.

Murderous intent burned in Bruce's eyes as he slapped me twice across the face.

"I was carsick and disoriented when the crash happened. I didn't actually see what happened. But now I finally see how evil you really are, Wanda," he snarled.

"Mom, why don't you just die?" Sean screamed. "I'll kick and bite you to death! You don't deserve to be my mother. I want Sally to be my mom instead!

The comments section of the live stream also spiraled into a frenzy.

"Death penalty for the defendant!"

"Execute her now!"

Every single person watching wanted me dead.

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and sneered. "What a bunch of idiots."

But the judge, overwhelmed by the uproar, handed the microphone to me and asked, "Ms. Collins, do you have any objection to the death penalty?"

I tossed the mic to the floor and stomped on it. "Death penalty, my ass! It should be the other way round. I'm filing an appeal!"

Realizing that I was still trying to fight back, everyone burst into laughter.

"Is she still trying to scramble for one last chance? How pathetic."

"Sooner or later, she's going to die. Why don't we just humor her for a bit? I still haven't thrown anything at her yet."

The judge then connected the memory extractor to my brain.

A few seconds passed as the judge watched the footage. For the first time ever, the robot judge's monotonous voice actually wavered.

Finally, the judge declared, "The plaintiffs' case has been dismissed. The defendant wins."

The final verdict only lasted a few words, yet it felt like ages had passed.

The entire courtroom froze in disbelief.

"The defendant won? Has the judge been bribed or something?"

"She definitely bribed someone! There's no way that wicked woman won this case. This is absurd! I demand you show us the evidence now!"

An onlooker whose temper had gotten the better of them even hurled a hammer at the robot judge.

A deafening clang reverberated through the air as the person roared, "I hate corrupt, backdoor bribes the most! I'll smash you to scrap metal. Either show us the memory, or I'll tear you apart right here!"

More voices joined the fray, demanding that my extracted memories be displayed.

Clutching its damaged shoulder, the judge opened the stored memory evidence and projected it onto the massive screen.

The moment the image of the Graham family's study appeared, both Bruce and Sean went completely still.