The Ruthless (Quantum Meruit Series #1)

35. Plead

35.
Plead

━━━━━━━

I had no idea. I didn’t doubt anything. I was sure I would be leading my life undisturbed until I was tired of it.

“Miss Willow! Ano po ang masasabi niyo? Kayo po ba talaga ang pumatay kay Hernan Suarez?”

I looked at the eager reporter as she wrestled against the security. Her eyes shone with delicate hate masked in apathy. At hindi siya nag-iisa. Marami sila. Lahat ay gusto akong pigain at paaminin.

I was now a suspect for Hernan’s death.

Gusto kong tumawa nang malakas at mabaliw. They had found probable cause to file the Information in court to detain me. The charge was murder, a non-bailable offense. I would be spending my next days, weeks, month, or even years behind bars whether I would be able to prove my innocence or not.

De puta madre.

Mas umingay ang paligid habang ipinapasok ako sa police car. Everyone wanted to have a glimpse on how I would cry my innocence. But no, I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. This was all a mistake. I didn’t need to cry like a lunatic because the truth would come out.

Hopefully.

“Before he died, he uttered your name. The prosecution considers it a res gestae.”

My lawyer went on and on. Ang mga magulang ko ay pigil ang hikbi sa bawat tanong at pangamba. I felt my heart twitched painfully as I realized things would never be the same again.

They were saying I killed Hernan. That I had the intention to. Pinlano ko. Ginusto ko. A fucking murder.

I hated Hernan, alright. He brought so many bad things in me. At some points, I really wanted him gone. But not like this. Not his fucking death. I knew I had threatened him a lot of times but they were just spurs of the moment. Nawawala sa tuwing malamig na ang ulo ko.

Nagkakamali silang lahat. Hindi ko magagawang pumatay. Hindi, kahit muhing-muhi ako sa kanya.

“We’ll petition the court to grant you bail. But you should know that the charge against you is a non-bailable offense,” Atty. Roces reminded me as he fixed his things. “For now, kailangan nating paghandaan ang arraignment at pre-trial. I’ll come here from time to time.”

“So, p’wede pa rin siya mag-petition for bail kahit ‘di recommended?” my mother reiterated desperately. “P’wede pa, Attorney?”

How did everything escalate to this?

Atty. Roces pacified my mother with some gentle assurances. She wolfed all of them down like a starved animal. But we all knew we were dealing beyond the reliefs granted by those promises.

“How about that man?” I asked as my eyes traced the freedom I was to lose.

Nawala ang ingay kaya ibinaling kong muli ang tingin sa kanila. My parents were about to cry once again. Atty. Roces’ tired orbs were at me as if he was weighing things. Mapakla akong ngumiti.

“He’s detained like you,” he replied, finally.

What a fucking turn of events. “The prosecution must be thinking to make him a state witness.”