Chapter 208: Shadows of the Past, Justice for the Future

As the trial concluded, court officers escorted Jason toward the exit. His eyes darted around the room until, past Vanessa and David, his gaze landed on Eric, Caleb, Mike, Jade, Ruby, and Martin, who were standing together preparing to leave the courtroom. Jason’s face, previously lifeless and hollow, suddenly flushed red with raw fury.

"You satisfied now?! You satisfied?! Look at me, I’m completely ruined! Are you happy now?! Every single one of you will burn in hell after you die!" Jason screamed at the group on the other side of the room.

Hearing Jason’s outbursts, Vanessa and David, who were initially unaware of the group’s presence, whipped their heads around to look at them. Vanessa’s face drained of all color, while David, who had been comforting her a moment ago, instantly jerked his hands back and turned his head away.

Two officers grabbed the handcuffed Jason to stop his screaming and force him out, but Jason broke free from their grip and lunged toward Eric and the others. Seeing him push forward, Eric, Mike, and Caleb stepped in front of Jade, Ruby, and Martin to form a shield. But before Jason could take more than a few steps, two bailiffs alongside an officer tackled him to a halt. Jason glared directly at Eric, his jaw working furiously,

"Just you wait, Eric! You’re gonna lose everything just like I did! You’re nothing... you’re just a bastard child..."

"Slap!"

"Gasp!"

Eric, Ruby, and Martin froze in absolute shock as Vanessa darted forward and slapped Jason hard across the face, cutting him off mid-sentence so violently that his head snapped to the side. Holding his stinging cheek, Jason stared back at Vanessa, his eyes brimming with hurt and disbelief. He clearly couldn’t fathom his own mother striking him. But what truly made his jaw tighten was her face, there was no sadness, no anger, nothing except sheer, unadulterated disgust. Seeing that look terrified him more than anything else.

"Mom... why?" Jason whimpered.

"Please take him away, officers," Vanessa said to the two guards, her voice devoid of emotion.

The guards offered a silent nod, grabbing Jason and pulling him along. Jason kept his eyes glued to Vanessa, but she refused to even look in his direction. In that moment, Jason finally understood that the very last person who had ever defended him had officially walked away for good, never to return. He went completely silent, his legs giving out as he offered no further resistance, letting the officers drag him out of the courtroom like a hollow shell.

Caleb and Jade caught sight of their father quietly slipping out through the side exit, clearly fleeing the scene to avoid taking any responsibility for the mess. Meanwhile, the team of five defense attorneys representing Jason approached Vanessa, their hushed gestures making the nature of their discussion abundantly clear. Once she finished speaking with the lawyers, Vanessa walked over to Eric, who was standing beside Ruby and Martin.

"Eric... maybe it’s far too late for this, but please let me say it anyway. This past week, I’ve been thinking... really thinking... and you were right. I refused to see the truth because I was blinded by this delusion of family. I see that now, and I want to stand on the side of what’s right. I’m not asking for your forgiveness, but please... let me say I’m sorry," Vanessa said, bowing her head before Eric as she fought to hold back her tears.

Eric stood in complete silence, unable to speak. If Vanessa had said these words a month ago or even a week ago, he might have felt something for his mother. But after the social media stunt, her public smear campaign, and her showing up with reporters to threaten his business, Eric felt nothing except utter exhaustion.

In his heart, as was his nature, he had already forgiven her, but he no longer wanted any part in her life, it was simply too late. Yet while his brain was processing everything, his mouth moved faster than his thoughts,

"Thank you," Eric replied quietly.

Hearing his words, Vanessa remained silent, though a small, sad smile touched her lips. She knew Eric’s response wasn’t absolution, it wasn’t anywhere close. It was a final goodbye. She took a deep breath, raised her head, and turned to look at Ruby and Martin beside him,

"Martin, I’m sorry for lying to you all these years. I’m not asking to come back, nor am I asking for your forgiveness... I just wanted to say it out loud. Ruby... take good care of your father. I’m so sorry for letting you down," Vanessa murmured, a sad smile on her tearful face.

Martin didn’t utter a word, but he gave a small nod in acknowledgment. He then looked over at Ruby, who had her head lowered, tears dripping onto the floor as her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. Gently, Eric placed a hand on Ruby’s back, giving her a light push forward until she stood directly face-to-face with Vanessa.

"Mom... I forgive you," Ruby said, her voice trembling and choking on tears.

Without hesitation, Ruby stepped forward and threw her arms around her mother, burying her face in Vanessa’s chest. Vanessa wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter, weeping softly as she stroked her hair. Eric stepped over to Martin’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder; Martin responded by covering Eric’s hand with his own.

After a long embrace, Vanessa gently pulled back and kissed Ruby’s cheek. She offered Eric and Martin a small, respectful nod of farewell, turned around, and walked toward the exit doors.

Eric, Martin, and Ruby silently watched Vanessa’s retreating figure. She didn’t turn back once, her posture slightly stooped as she walked through the doors and vanished, though the echo of her high heels lingered in the hallway for a moment longer. Eric turned to look at Ruby,

"Are you okay?" Eric asked, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"I’m okay... I really am. Thank you, big brother. If you hadn’t pushed me, I probably would’ve just stayed silent and bottled everything up inside," Ruby replied softly.

"Anytime," Eric replied. He then turned to Martin, "Are you doing alright, Dad?"

"I’m fine, don’t worry about me. How are you holding up?" Martin asked in return.

"I’m okay too. Let’s get out of here, everything’s over now anyway," Eric said casually.

"Yeah... considering all those charges, how long do you think Jason will be in prison?" Ruby asked.

"Who knows? Aside from the bombing, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder, they also brought up embezzlement, bribery, and fraud, right? It sounds like he’s going away for a very long time, but I don’t know the exact sentence," Eric answered.

"Minimum thirty years, maximum life without parole. We’ll just have to wait for the judge’s ruling, but there’s no way Jason’s getting out of this one, the evidence against him is overwhelming. I’m pretty sure those five lawyers who spoke to your mother earlier dropped the case the moment they heard the formal indictment," Martin chimed in.

"So even if it’s just thirty years... Jason’s twenty-four right now. That means he won’t get out until his mid-fifties," Ruby calculated aloud.

"Pretty much... but he brought every bit of this on himself without anyone pushing him. These are the consequences he has to face, and nobody can save him from that," Eric replied.

"True. At the very least, let’s hope he changes while he’s inside," Martin added.

They finally made their way out to meet Caleb, Mike, and Jade, who were waiting in the main corridor. There was no sign of Vanessa or David in the hallway, just the group and a few court officers going about their business. Together, they walked toward the building’s exit. Once outside, Ruby guided Martin and Jade toward their car, giving both Eric and Caleb a warm hug before taking her leave. As Ruby’s car pulled away, Caleb turned to Eric,

"Everything settled? Let’s head back to the office," Caleb suggested.

"Hmm... you and Mike go ahead. I’ve got something I need to take care of first," Eric replied.

"Oh? Where are you headed?" Caleb asked, puzzled.

"Nowhere far. Just wanna be by myself for a bit, you get what I mean," Eric replied.

"Ah, right... got it. Come on, Mike, I’ll drop you off at your office," Caleb said.

"Alright... see ya, Eric. Take care," Mike added.

"Yup, drive safe," Eric replied.

Caleb and Mike walked over to Caleb’s car. Standing near the courthouse entrance, Eric watched as the two climbed in and drove off. Once the car disappeared around the corner, "sigh," Eric let out a long breath. He turned his head toward a large pillar on the right side of the courthouse steps, turned around, and strolled over.

Stepping around the pillar, he found a girl standing there. Eric reached out and rested his hand on top of her head, she was wearing a brown trench coat, oversized sunglasses, and a wide hat. The girl gasped in surprise,

"What are you doing here instead of being at school... Emma?" Eric asked.

"Um... I... followed you... you caught me, huh? Hehehe," Emma giggled, turning around and sliding her sunglasses down.

"Give me a break. What is with this getup anyway? Are you trying to play detective or something? Besides, I didn’t even know you owned a trench coat like this," Eric teased, tugging playfully at the coat.

"Um... I borrowed it from school... because if I didn’t, they wouldn’t let me inside wearing my school uniform! So you knew I was in the gallery the whole time?" Emma asked, pulling the coat aside to reveal her uniform underneath.

"You were sitting right behind me the entire time. Oh well, come on, let’s go home," Eric said, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"Okay... babe. And sorry, hehehe," Emma replied, wrapping her arm tightly around Eric’s waist.