Chapter 511 Acquitted
Molly's stomach did a flip when she heard those words. She felt so grossed out and ashamed that she ever had a thing for Robert!
Kyle saw her go pale and gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. "Forget it, it's not a big deal."
Kyle thought, it really wasn't a big deal. Whether she loved him or not didn't matter that much. Real love was about acceptance and understanding. Would Kyle stop crushing on her just because Molly didn't like him back? Nah, he wouldn't. So, it didn't matter that much.
Kyle swallowed and said, "Let's head inside, it's windy out here."
He fired up the engine, and over the roar, he suddenly heard her say, "Not anymore."
Apart from the engine noise, there was nothing else. The night breeze brushed by, and the dim, scattered light made Molly's face glow. Her teary eyes looked super alluring. Even though her heart was a mess, she still looked young and beautiful on the outside.
Kyle's lips tightened a bit. "Hope the trial goes well."
After a few seconds, Molly spoke again, "Kyle, I will never love again in this lifetime."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear, with a hopeless sadness in its soft tone.
Molly had once been a girl who dreamed of love, but after all that humiliation and torment, she lost the ability to love and be loved. She even doubted herself at one point, wondering if she deserved this fate.
Molly and Robert were like two scarred lunatics, always competing to see who could hurt the other more. Robert didn't plan to let her go, and she didn't plan to let Robert go either. Their ending was destined to be tragic.
"It's okay." Kyle looked at her and said gently, "Molly, even if you can't love anymore, it's okay."
He got what she meant. She was telling him that she couldn't love anyone anymore, including him.
"I'll stick around," Kyle said.
"You're too foolish," Molly sighed.
Molly didn't know how to convince Kyle. She had tried everything, but he was super stubborn. But she had made up her mind. Once Robert's matter was settled, she would take Taylor and find a quiet place to live, to lead a life unnoticed by others. Once Taylor grew up safely, her mission would be complete. Her journey in this world would come to an end.
Kyle said, "Go inside quickly. It's pretty cold at night; don't catch a chill."
Molly nodded and walked into the building first. Kyle watched until the light on the sixth floor came on. He then slowly rolled up the car window and drove away.
Soon, it was the day of the trial. Molly showed up at the trial, wearing a red dress and a black hat, looking elegant and beautiful.
Kyle hadn't shown up even after the doors closed, for some unknown reason. Molly felt a bit dazed and uneasy, so she sent him a message.
Molly: [You busy?]
Kyle had said last night that he would come to the trial today. Even if something came up, he would definitely let her know and wouldn't just ghost her.
After a few minutes with no reply from Kyle, Molly wondered if she should call him to find out what was going on. But before she could unlock her phone, the side door swung open. Robert was escorted out.
He looked sharp and clean, calm as ever, with no hint of despair on his handsome face. If it weren't for the stubble on his chin, no one would believe he'd been locked up for nearly two weeks.
As soon as Robert sat down, his eyes zeroed in on Molly in the back row, and he gave her a knowing smile.
Molly's body instinctively shuddered.
"Ma'am, you okay?" The middle-aged woman next to her, Isolde Porter, noticed Molly's shiver and pale face and asked with concern.
Molly forced a smile. "I'm fine."
Isolde was super warm. "Ma'am, are you a friend of Mr. Perot?"
Molly shook her head. "No."
"Oh, then are you like me?" Isolde asked.
Molly looked up, not getting what Isolde meant.
Isolde thought Molly was very beautiful, but her pale face added a touch of pitifulness, making Isolde feel sorry for her.
"Someone Mr. Perot has helped," Isolde explained.
Molly's forced smile froze, and her expression got weird.
Isolde didn't notice and kept going, "I sell food at the gateway to Angels Cathedral. A few years ago, I had an accident and broke my leg. Mr. Perot arranged for someone to fit me with a prosthetic, and he has been visiting my stall ever since. He comes four times a year and always brings me gifts."
Molly's face grew even paler. "You sell food at the gateway to Angels Cathedral?"
Harrison and Leah's memorial plaques were placed at Angels Cathedral.
Isolde replied, "Yeah, my husband passed away early, and I couldn't have kids due to health reasons. Luckily, Angels Cathedral took me in, and I've been selling food to tourists at the entrance ever since."
The more Molly looked at Isolde, the more familiar she seemed. It turned out Isolde was the one selling food at the entrance of Angels Cathedral.
Isolde said, "Mr. Perot has been commemorating someone at the church for years, four times a year without fail. I heard it was his girlfriend and her family's memorial plaques. Later, it was discovered that his girlfriend was still alive, so her memorial plaque was removed, but he still goes to commemorate her family."
Molly's head started to ache. She bit her lip, wanting Isolde to stop talking.
Isolde, however, looked at Robert with admiration and said with a smile, "You don't know how many good deeds Mr. Perot has done. At first, Angels Cathedral didn't have much money, and it was Mr. Perot who paid for the treatment of the sick. I heard he also funded many schools and welfare homes. Those he had helped knew that he frequently visited the Cathedral, so they also chose to come there. Over time, Angels Cathedral gradually prospered."
Isolde pointed to the people on one side and said to Molly, "Look, all these people have been helped by Mr. Perot. When rumors spread about Mr. Perot being involved in economic crimes, no one believed it. He used all his money for good deeds; how could he have committed any crime?"
Molly's body began to tremble, and she stammered, "Please, stop talking."
Isolde noticed something was off with Molly and panicked, "Ma'am, you okay? Need me to call an ambulance?"
"No, I'm fine. Just need to step outside for a sec," Molly said.
As she looked up, she saw that the people on one side of the seats were all looking at Robert with grateful eyes. Instantly, a chilling emotion grew within her. The big bad guy in Molly's eyes was actually a hero to others. How absurd and laughable!
As she stood up, she stumbled, making a noise. Robert's gaze shifted over, and Molly instinctively clenched her fists. A buzzing sound filled her ears, and she couldn't even hear what the judge was saying.
She stumbled out of the room, grabbed a pillar in the hallway, and slowly squatted down. Her heart was pounding like it was about to leap out of her chest, as if everything had been flipped upside down in an instant.
Robert being seen as a great person by others—wasn't that just too ridiculous? How badly he treated her! He humiliated her, made her entertain sleazy bosses like a prostitute, and not just one at a time. He had slapped her, forced her to jump into the sea to feed the fish, and even when she was tormented by illness and her body was broken, he didn't let her go.
Too many nightmarish memories lingered in her mind. The good person in others' eyes was a demon, a hell, and a world shrouded in darkness to her!
Molly didn't know that in the five years she was gone, Robert had indeed tried to be the good person others saw him as and had felt pretty good about it. But his obsession was ingrained in his bones, and when it came to Molly, he was never normal.
Robert couldn't stand that Molly didn't love him, nor could he stand that Molly loved someone else. The moment he sensed she had such inclinations, he felt an overwhelming urge to destroy the world and bury both of them within it.
Not knowing how long it took, Molly felt her heartbeat return to normal. She slowly stood up and called Kyle, but even on the third try, there was no answer.
This had never happened before. Kyle had never disappeared without a word. Molly's heart tightened with unease.
At that moment, the bustling noise from the crowd in the hall reached her ears. Molly immediately saw Isolde coming out from inside. The trial had already ended. How could it be so quick?
Molly's unease grew. The last time she felt this uneasy was when Harrison jumped off the building.
"Ma'am..." Isolde saw Molly and called out warmly, then walked over with concern, "How are you feeling? Better?"
"Much better."
Isolde said, "That's good. You see, with the good news, you're feeling better too."
Molly, however, was still uneasy and asked, "What good news?"
"Oh, right, you don't know yet." Isolde beamed, "New evidence came out. Turns out Mr. Perot was framed for those things, including those contracts that weren't handled by him."
Isolde held Molly's cold hand tightly, excitedly saying, "Mr. Perot has been acquitted."
Molly froze, her hand turning even colder.
She had imagined many scenarios, including Robert eventually getting out. After all, Robert had money. He wasn't charged with murder, just financial crimes. As long as he paid the fines, he would only be in for a few years at most.
But she had never imagined it would be this fast! So fast it was unimaginable. In just these few days, he had come out unscathed.
Isolde thought Molly was happy like her and said with a smile, "You're happy too, right? Do you want to see Mr. Perot? He's over there being congratulated by many people. I'll take you to him!"
Isolde pulled the stiff Molly along, not noticing that she was now walking in a numb, passive manner.
Isolde squeezed through the crowd and greeted Robert with a smile, "Mr. Perot, there's a beautiful lady here who also wants to thank you."
Robert's eyes were calm and sharp as he looked at the puppet-like Molly and smiled subtly. "Oh? Thank me for what?"
Isolde was taken aback by the question and turned to Molly, saying, "Ma'am, what are you thanking Mr. Perot for? Tell him, he's right here."
Outside the courtroom, the cold white light shone on Molly's face, making the veins and blood vessels under her skin clearly visible. Her face was so pale, like a corpse, making people worry.
Isolde's joyful mood subsided, and she noticed. She held Molly's hand, "Ma'am, why are you still so cold? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
Molly felt a sense of powerlessness throughout her body, but she told herself to stay calm. She couldn't let Robert's release knock her down.
"What's wrong? Not feeling well?" Robert reached out and took Molly's hand from Isolde, his tone unusually gentle.
"Don't touch me!" Molly recoiled like a bird caught by the foot, then looked at Robert with eyes full of fear. That look was filled with hatred, disgust, and determination, but no gratitude.
Isolde opened her mouth, feeling she must have misunderstood something. Out of a kind instinct, she supported the frail Molly, "Ma'am, don't be afraid."
The atmosphere became awkward. Isolde didn't dare to speak, feeling she had done something wrong despite her good intentions. Robert was a good person, but Molly looked pitiful and didn't seem like a bad person either. Who was the good person, and who was the bad one?
"Robert!" A woman's cheerful voice broke the awkward atmosphere. Rosie, dressed in a white high-end socialite dress, walked over quickly and handed a bouquet to Robert, "Robert, congratulations on clearing your name."
Robert took the flowers and said, "Thank you."
Rosie felt that all her efforts were worth it just to hear Robert's thanks. "Good to know. How about treating me to a nice meal?"
Robert glanced quickly at Molly, then turned to Rosie, his handsome, chiseled features softening, "Let's go."
The two walked away together.
Molly felt like her entire body was drenched in sweat, her legs weak, but fortunately, Isolde supported her.
She had miscalculated! Completely miscalculated! She hadn't even thought of Rosie. How foolish she had been.
Isolde saw sweat dripping from Molly's forehead and worriedly said, "Ma'am, let me take you to the hospital."
"No, thank you." Molly shook off Isolde's hand and hurriedly chased after Robert.
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