𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄 & 𝐂𝐋𝐘𝐃𝐄. ˡᵘᵐᵃˣ

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈

"What do you think you're doing?" Steve whispered through his teeth as he held her wrist. "You want to tell me something? We can go outside and talk-" But when she didn't hold on, she charged forward, ignoring his words.

Max inhaled twice before speaking in two failed attempts.

"I killed my husband." She finally said in a firm tone, facing the small crowd. The flashes of the countless cameras went off frantically and a buzz filled the room. She closed her eyes before continuing. "I killed him by accident. It was an accident." The bitterness of remorse was evident in her voice.

She looked at the judge. Her heart beat in her chest at a terrifying speed.

"I didn't love my husband, but I didn't hate him either. He didn't even love me. In fact, it was my brother who forced me to marry him when I was sixteen because of a debt. I never had a say in the matter. My opinion didn't matter. And Roy was never concerned about me. In the three years we were married, he always presented himself as a violent, careless, cruel man who would beat me simply because I didn't have dinner ready when he got home from work at seven in the afternoon, or because the beers were out and I hadn't gone to buy more."

She spat out the words, not letting go of the disgust she felt.

"Until one day he discovered a letter Lucas had written to me. An innocent letter with no information that revealed that I was involved with him, because I wasn't. We were just friends. And he lost control and without even giving me a chance to explain, he threw a beer bottle at his head." She pointed to the small scar above her eyebrow.

Everyone was watching and listening to Max with full attention, trying to take in all the new information she was explaining almost at high speed. Steve, sitting there, was completely restless and longed to get her out of there.

"He was getting ready to hit me again. And I just defended myself. I picked up a vase and threw it at him to get him off me. But he hit his head." Her heavy breathing was visible. "There was nothing I could do to help him. I know I did wrong. I was afraid and ran away like a criminal. And I ended up becoming one. And that wasn't Lucas' fault."

Now she looked right at him. Lucas' desperation was evident in the aggressiveness with which his diaphragm rose and fell.

"Meeting Lucas was not a mistake. The fact that our paths crossed was the best thing that ever happened to me. I've never met anyone who treated me as well and cared as much as Lucas. In fact, you don't even know him. What irritates me is that his personality doesn't match his actions. Our actions. The mistake was the way we acted. The solutions to our mistakes were the wrong ones. And mistakes make mistakes. 

And yes, I may be a thief, but... but I'm not a murderer. I had to say that because only I knew the truth. And only I had the right to say it. But now there's nothing left to hide."

Lucas knew she had never wanted to live like this, like an irresponsible fugitive. It was his fault. He had indeed corroded her pure heart. This was proof that she had a pure heart, not a cruel one.

And he desperately wished that despite all the mess they had made, they could at least see and understand that Max was not a murderer or a criminal. Those words didn't define her; they didn't fit her.

Abigail thanked Max for her speech and confession, which had been duly recorded, and announced that if no one else had anything to say, she would meet with the jury to reflect on the evidence and everything that had been discussed in court to make their final decision.

Still shaking slightly, Max sat back down.

"What was the part about not giving unnecessary information you didn't understand? Everything was going well, you managed to turn around early." Steve turned to her, a little calmer.