"No! They fabricated the evidence so they can throw me out of the court!" Cheni shouted at us. She looked at me angrily. "You planned all of this! Don't believe that murderer!" she angrily said as she pointed at me.
People in the courtroom began to murmur again. At the same time, I was looking at Cheni with a smile of success on my lips. She just dug her own grave. Everything he said was thrown back at her by Atty. Montreal. Philip was really right. Atty. Montreal was indeed good. Really good.
"Please arrest Miss Ibañez," Atty. Montreal said.
The police immediately approached Cheni and tried to handcuff her, but she suddenly resisted.
"Stay away from me, you freaking cops! You should arrest that murderer, not me!" she growled while struggling from the hold of the cops.
"Calm down, Miss Ibañez," said her Attorney, Atty. Bailey.
"Order in the court!" Judge Aguirre interjected while hammering his gavel. "Don't fight anymore, Miss Ibañez,” he added while shaking his head.
"Another accusation from you, and we will charge you with another case, Miss Ibañez," Atty. Montreal warned her. "Take her," he ordered the police, so Cheni was immediately handcuffed and dragged out of the courtroom.
The whispering grew louder inside the court. Judge Aguirre hammered his gavel again as he tried to quiet down the courtroom.
Atty. Montreal came back where I was seated. He patted my back softly and smiled. "Relax. Just trust me. You won't be charged for something that you didn't do on purpose."
"Thank you very much, Atty."
"Don't thank me yet. Our battle is not yet finished."
I just nodded in response to him. I looked ahead. My eyes widened when I saw Philip sitting in the front row. My eyes saw his arm with a cast, and he also had a bandaid on his forehead. Suddenly my smiling face was replaced by worry. He smiled at me and said he was okay with his lips. I bit my lower lip, trying to stop the tears that were about to fall.
I turned to Atty. Montreal when he suddenly cursed in a low tone.
"I told him to just stay in the hospital until he is okay. Now he is in front of us looking like shit," he litany next to me.
"W-what happened to Philip? Why is he hurt like that? Please tell me," I insisted to him.
I heard him heave a sigh before he spoke, "Someone was following him here. His car crashed, and he was shot. It was a miracle that he survived." I covered my mouth because of what he said. It was my fault why this happened to Philip. "Please don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. Philip doesn't want you to blame yourself too. We are still trying to investigate those people who tried to kill him. We'll catch them too. In no time."
He even said it wasn’t my fault. I still didn’t feel relieved. Partly, I was also at fault. Because if he didn't help me with my case, he wouldn't be in that situation.
***
Can you tell us what happened that day, Mrs. Acosta? " asked Atty. Montreal.
"Yes, Atty."
I told everyone what happened that day on my way to Dreame Café to meet Cheni until I accidentally stabbed Nicholai. I couldn't help but cry while telling them what happened that day. All the pain seems to be coming back.
Atty. Montreal went back to our table and took another envelope. He went back in front and gave it to the judge. "That is the result of Mrs. Acosta's physical examination the day the incident happened. It is the evidence that Mrs. Acosta was physically abused that day," he said with confidence.
After he told this to Judge Aguirre, he turned to me again.
"That day of the incident, is that the first day that Mr. Acosta hurt you?" Atty.
"No. That wasn't the first time he hit me." I wiped my tears and calmed myself.
"When did he start abusing you, Mrs. Acosta?" Atty. Montreal.
"After our baby died from the car accident. It started there. At first, it was just verbal and emotional abuse. Almost every day, he came home drunk. And every time that he was drunk, he would keep on telling me that I killed our baby. He blamed me for it. And then it became physical. He punched me on my stomach and even forced himself on me."
"Thank you, Mrs. Acosta," Atty. Montreal said to me. "As what the accused said and with the evidence, what the accused did on that day of the incident was purely self-defense and should be acquitted for any charges that the victim's party charged to her. That's all, your honor."
Atty. Montreal went back to his seat. Atty. Bailey approached me next. She was going to ask me questions too.
"Mrs. Acosta, I will ask you some questions, and you can answer yes or no. Okay?" Atty. Bailey said.
"Yes, Atty," I replied with a nod.
"As you said a while ago, when the incident happened, you arrived home, and your husband was already there and was mad at you. You said he was angry because you went out and thought that you met your other man. Right? "
"Yes, Atty," I replied directly.
"I have here a picture of a woman and man inside the Dreame Café sitting together." Atty. Bailey raised the picture. It was that man who introduced himself to me inside the cafe and me. I swallowed the lump on my throat. "Is this you, Mrs. Acosta?"
"Y-Yes. But ..."
"Just answer yes or no, Mrs. Acosta."
"Yes, Atty."
"Thank you. You said you would meet Miss Ibañez that day. But here you are with a man instead of her. Does that mean that Miss Ibañez is just an excuse, but you are really going to meet your other man there— "
"Objection, your honor! Atty. Bailey's statement is based on hearsay," Atty. Montreal stood up and glared at Atty. Bailey.
"—and then Mr. Acosta knew that you were really cheating on him even if you are married?" Atty. Bailey continued talking without minding Atty. Montreal.
"Objection sustained," Judge Aguirre said as he hammered his gavel.
Atty. Montreal sat back on his seat, pissed.
"No! It's not true. I'm not cheating on him. I don't know the man in that photo!"
"Then how about this picture, Mrs. Acosta?" She showed the picture where Philip and I were together. "This was taken a few days after you got married. This is you, Mrs. Acosta, right?"
"Y-yes."
"Do you know this person beside you?"
"Yes."
"Philip Aragon. Am I right, Mrs. Acosta?"
"Y-yes."
"Is it true that before you got married, Philip Aragon was your fiancé?"
"Yes," I said and then bit my lower lip.
"Does that mean that you want to annul your marriage because of him? Because you want to be with him?"
"N-No. I want to annul our marriage because I can no longer handle what Nicholai is doing to me," I defended.
"Is it true that Mr. Acosta doesn't want to break up with you?"
"Yes."
"Because he doesn't want to separate, so you planned to kill him inside your house so you can be free? Am I right?" she said with accusation.
Suddenly my chest tightened. I was hurt because of what she was accusing me of.
"No! No! That's not true!" I couldn’t help but cry because of Atty. Bailey’s accusation. I was pressured. And I hated it.
"Objection, your honor!" Atty. Montreal angrily shouted. I even heard Atty. Montreal and Atty. Bailey was arguing while Judge Aguirre kept on hammering his gavel.
"Order in the court! Order in the court!"
"No. I didn't plan to kill him," I said tearfully while shaking. "I admit that I planned to annul our marriage not just because I'm tired of all his beating but also because I don't really love him. He just forced me to marry him, and you can't blame me if I just want to protect myself. " I broke down in front of them that made Atty. Montreal cursed out loud inside the court.