Chapter 5

The next day, as I stayed with my mother at the hospital, the trending topics exploded.

When I opened my phone, my name was everywhere.

[Renowned Attorney's Wife is a Sex-Addicted Lunatic!]

[Infertile Woman Jealous of Husband's Pregnant First Love Seduces and Falsely Accuses 18-Year-Old Boy!]

Every word was like a nail, driven into my body one by one.

Someone had dug up photos from that night.

Red dress. Deep V-neck. High slit.

The photos were maliciously enlarged.

People circled my chest and legs.

Adding filthy captions, turning them into memes.

[This slut's dress is slit up to her crotch. Bet she wasn't wearing panties underneath.]

[Attorney Price looks at this barren whore every day. No wonder he went back to his first love.]

[Poor Lily, pregnant and still having to deal with revenge from this crazy bitch.]

The torrent of obscene abuse online continued until the day of the second trial.

That day, the sky was so overcast it seemed about to collapse.

Lily still sat in the front row.

Jason sat in the defendant's seat, looking like an innocent young man awaiting judgment.

Ethan stood up, even calmer than the last time, and more ruthless.

On the big screen played private footage from my therapy sessions.

From three months ago, me leaning in his arms, tearfully dissecting my deepest pain:

"Ethan, ever since Lily came back, I feel like I'm going to lose you... I can't give you children. Will you stop wanting me...?"

This moment of complete vulnerability and dependence I had shown him became the iron-clad evidence he used to exonerate a rapist.

Ethan held a laser pointer, aiming at the screen showing me in tears.

"Your Honor! Ms. Hart suffers from severe jealous delusions and depression!"

"Because of her own infertility, she harbors deep resentment toward the pregnant Ms. Lily. On the night of the incident, she deliberately wore a revealing deep V-neck red dress, voluntarily drank ten glasses of hard liquor, and used the effects of alcohol and psychiatric medication to seduce my client's brother into a room!"

"All of this was a carefully planned scheme to get revenge on Ms. Lily!"

I sat in the witness stand, my throat full of the taste of blood.

They examined my hemline, my womb, my shattered psychiatric records with a magnifying glass.

But not one person asked me how much pain, how much despair I felt when I was pinned to the bed and my clothes were torn.

Ethan coldly closed the case file.

"The defense respectfully requests that the court fully consider the instability and potential subjective malice in Ms. Hart's testimony, and dismiss all accusations from this woman!"

Potential subjective malice.

In the gallery, Lily covered her belly and let out a long sigh of relief.

A victorious smile curved her lips.

I closed my eyes.

During the recess before the verdict was announced, I went to the restroom.

Just as I reached the corridor corner, Jason came from the other direction.

He stopped in front of me, his voice very low.

"Clara, your husband is even more impressive than I thought. I slept with you, and not only isn't he angry, he's getting me acquitted."

Blood rushed to my head.

I raised my hand to hit him, but he immediately stepped back.

The next second, Lily appeared.

"Jason!"

She pulled Jason behind her, looking at me with wariness all over her face.

"Clara, are you trying to assault someone at the courthouse?"

I bit my lip hard to keep from vomiting.

The recess ended. The court was about to announce the verdict.

Everyone stood, waiting for the judge's final decision.

Just then, Ethan's phone on the desk vibrated.

It was his most trusted private investigator.

He glanced down.

[Attorney Price! New surveillance footage has been found! Ms. Hart was absolutely not willing! She was force-fed a strong sedative and dragged in! Ms. Lily was in the room... She personally undressed Ms. Hart!]

Ethan's head snapped up, his eyes boring into Lily.