chapter 93
last update2026-06-29 23:02:10

The next day, which was on a Wednesday, was going to be hectic, I already knew judging from the way I felt. After the call with Yemi, I was calm but after that, a few minutes later, the anxiety returned.

Tomorrow was different.

On Monday, it was the beginning, today was Dr. Chan who truly made me proud but Wednesday is very personal in a way that the other two days weren't.

According to Patricia, another witness was coming up and it was Marcus.

My father even though I don't regard him as one anymore. He was the one who had chosen not to stand by his wife or his son even when they needed him.

He was the one who made me hate him so much. The man who should have protected my mother but chose not to.

I finally slept that night but that was after 5 hours of turning and twisting on the bed. I was already having a headache when I got up.

It wasn't surprising since I was thinking so much last night. When I went downstairs for some hot tea, I saw Lily at the table again.

It was still very early for her to be here.

“You are eating breakfast so early these days.” I said, still taking slow steps towards her.

Lily and Mrs. Park, whom I didn't notice, looked up at once.

“Good morning sir.” Mrs. Park greeted.

“Good morning, brother.” Lily smiled at me.

I nodded at Mrs. Park and approached Lily who was giving me her best kind of smile.

“I know that smile. What are you up to?”

“What? This smile? This smile means that I'm just excited. Nothing out of blue.”

“Everything is out of the blue.” I said, sitting down beside her. “Mrs. Park, why is she up early?” I looked up at Mrs. Park.

“Why are you asking her?” Lily hit me.

“She seems pretty excited because she was the one who woke me up as well. She said she wanted to be downstairs when you come down for your coffee.”

“Hmm…” I carefully looked at Lily. “Why is that? Hmm?”

She had her head bent over which signified that she had been caught but instead getting upset, she looked up at me with a serious face.

I didn't say anything, I only waited to hear from her.

“Well, I just felt bad for you.” She finally spoke.

“Bad?” I asked, quite stunned. I never imagined that my little cousin was feeling bad for me.

“I overheard Henry and Yemi talking about your father coming to court today. According to what I heard, they said that today would be an extremely difficult day for you since this would be the first time you are seeing him after so many years.”

I listened and waited. I was dumbfounded.

“I'm just worried about you and I don't want you to be sad.”

“Really?” I looked at her again.

“Yes.”

Lily was literally worried about me, the adult. She wasn't just worried, she was searching for ways to help me.

“Lily.. but you know you shouldn't do this. You know that I love you right?”

“And I love you too, brother. You are very strong and brave.”

I watched Lily eat her food as I sat there thinking. If I was still in that god forsaken house, I might never have encountered the kind of love I was being showered on.

My own father who was supposed to love me unconditionally didn't when I needed him to and now he was going to probably speak against me on that stand.

It really took a while for me to accept that love like this was real and that I didn't have to prove anything to anyone.

I have always had to prove to my family that I deserved love. I was a little child, fighting not only for survival but for love.

But I was shown that love freely here. I learnt that I didn't have to ask for it or beg before I was accepted. As these thoughts went through my head, Mrs. Park quietly kept a cup of tea on the table in front of me.

“We are all cheering for you, Mrs. Blackwell.” She smiled.

This must have been the first time I've seen Mrs. Park really smile. I mean she smiled at people and at Lily all of the time but never at me.

That smile coupled with Lily's little gestures motivated me and made me feel totally okay. I was ready to face the day.

“You guys are really conspiring against me.” I said while taking a dip of my hot coffee. It felt refreshing in my mouth. Exactly what I needed.

“Mrs. Park also made some toast for you.” Lily shot at me interestingly and I looked at Mrs. Park who seemed shy.

“I tried a new recipe and I wanted you to be the first to try it.” Mrs. Park presented a plate of mouth watering toast to me.

“Go on, Brother. It tastes so good.”

“What? You already have some?”

“Well, let's just say that I had to taste them for your sake.”

“Really?” I shot at Lily. That little girl could be the sweetest but could be so annoying too. “You literally ate my toast and you are proud, aren't you?”

I didn't expect it but Lily laughed. It was heartfelt and beautiful to hear.

Nothing much was happening but it was becoming my best morning in a while. I ate the toast.

“See? It tastes so nice.”

I nodded in support while giving Mrs. Park a dumbs up. “Thank you so much, I love it.” I said to Mrs. Park whose eyes seemed to glow because I commended her.

“Aren't you going to thank me? This was my idea after all.”

I gave Lily the side eye but patted her cheek to appreciate her. I was almost done eating when my phone rang. I wasn't as anxious as I was earlier when I picked up his call.

“Something came up. Something happened to Marcus. I don't think he'll be making it to the courtroom as planned.”

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    I came home that evening with nothing left inside me. Not in a bad way exactly. Just empty. The way you feel after carrying something heavy for a long distance and finally putting it down. My arms felt lighter but everything else in me felt tired in a deep way that sleep alone could not fix. I went straight to the study. I did not turn on the big light. I just sat in the chair near the window with the small lamp on and looked out at the garden. The butterfly garlands were moving slowly in the evening wind. I watched them without really watching them. My mind was somewhere else. I kept hearing Marcus's voice in my head. I had built a life. Everything I had was connected to my wife. I was not willing to pay that price. I thought about how strange it was to finally hear t

  • chapter 95

    I came home that evening with nothing left inside me. Not in a bad way exactly. Just empty. The way you feel after carrying something heavy for a long distance and finally putting it down. My arms felt lighter but everything else in me felt tired in a deep way that sleep alone could not fix. I went straight to the study. I did not turn on the big light. I just sat in the chair near the window with the small lamp on and looked out at the garden. The butterfly garlands were moving slowly in the evening wind. I watched them without really watching them. My mind was somewhere else. I kept hearing Marcus's voice in my head. I had built a life. Everything I had was connected to my wife. I was not willing to pay that price. I thought about how strange it was to finally hear the truth from him. For so many years I had wanted him to say something honest to me. Even one sentence. And today he had said many honest things in front of strangers in a courtroom but it still did not feel like

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    The courthouse felt different on Wednesday morning.Not the building itself. The building was exactly the same. The marble corridor. The security check. The particular indoor quiet of a place doing something important.But the energy in the courtroom was different when I walked in. Like everyone in the room already understood that today was going to be the kind of day that sat differently in the memory from the other days.I found my seat.Henry on my left.Yemi on my right.She looked at me briefly when I sat down. She did not say anything. She did not need to. She just looked at me with those steady eyes of hers that always seemed to know the exact right amount to say without words and then she looked forward.That has recently been the habit she did. To always look at me like she was reassuring me. Like she was promising me to be strong and that everything would turn out well. I looked f

  • chapter 93

    The next day, which was on a Wednesday, was going to be hectic, I already knew judging from the way I felt. After the call with Yemi, I was calm but after that, a few minutes later, the anxiety returned.Tomorrow was different. On Monday, it was the beginning, today was Dr. Chan who truly made me proud but Wednesday is very personal in a way that the other two days weren't. According to Patricia, another witness was coming up and it was Marcus. My father even though I don't regard him as one anymore. He was the one who had chosen not to stand by his wife or his son even when they needed him. He was the one who made me hate him so much. The man who should have protected my mother but chose not to.I finally slept that night but that was after 5 hours of turning and twisting on the bed. I was already having a headache when I got up. It wasn't surprising since I was thinking so much last night. When I went downstairs for some hot tea, I saw Lily at the table again. It was still ver

  • chapter 92

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  • chapter 91

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