Chapter 139 I Am a Lawyer
Her voice was soft, but it caused a stir among the jury. Her statement threw me for a loop. The judge had to bang the gavel, "Order! Tessa, do you confirm that you do not want to divorce Lyle?"
Clearly, the judge was just as surprised as I was.
Tessa's voice trembled as she said, "Your Honor, I confirm that my relationship with my husband is good, and I don't want to divorce him."
I was floored, my eyes wide in shock. Sensing something was off, I asked the judge for a recess. On the way to the break room, Lyle approached us, and Tessa shrank behind me, too scared to move forward, her eyes full of fear. I was now certain something serious was up.
As soon as we got to the break room, Tessa and her sister hugged each other and cried. Her sister said, "Poor Tessa, why don't you want a divorce? Didn't we agree on this?"
I was dying to know what was going on. Once they calmed down a bit, I finally spoke up, "What's happening? This case isn't hard. Just say you want a divorce, and the judge will grant it. Why did you change your mind at the last second?"
Tessa responded, "Ms. Cooper, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you. But I really have no choice. I'm pregnant with his child, and he threatened me with the child. He said if I dared to divorce him, he would kill me and my whole family."
She started crying again, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling slightly. "Even if I die, it doesn't matter. But I still have my family, as well as the child in my womb who hasn't had a chance to see the world. I'm scared; I really don't dare to divorce him. Ms. Cooper, I'm sorry."
She suddenly clutched her stomach, a pained expression on her face, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
Tessa's sister quickly supported her and anxiously asked, "What's wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
Tessa weakly said, "I'm so scared. I'm afraid I can't keep this child."
Hearing Tessa's story, I couldn't help but feel sad too. "This isn't your fault, the blame lies with that bastard. Why do you keep apologizing?"
"But I've wasted your time and caused you so much trouble." Tessa's voice was filled with despair, her eyes full of guilt.
I said, "Please believe me. I'm a lawyer; I can help you win this case."
At this moment, I didn't just want to win the case, I genuinely wanted to help Tessa escape her misery. I clenched my fists tightly, looking at her with determination.
However, Tessa shook her head. "No, Ms. Cooper. Maybe after we have the child, he will treat me better."
At this moment, she still held a glimmer of hope for Lyle. She would never know that the vicious Lyle would never let her go. Sensing that Tessa had made up her mind, I couldn't persuade her any further and could only wish her luck in my heart.
Back in the courtroom, the judge asked Tessa and Lyle for their opinions again. When Tessa confirmed once more that she didn't want a divorce, I saw a hint of helplessness in the judge's eyes, but this was Tessa's decision, and we ultimately had to respect her choice.
After dropping Tessa off, I remained in my car, enveloped by an oppressive silence. Though I yearned to cry, my eyes remained stubbornly dry. I had always thought I could control my destiny and help those in need, but now I felt so small and powerless. All my efforts seemed pointless at that moment. I kept asking myself, should I just give up? I didn't want to, but what could I do? I was stuck in a loop of doubt.
Right now, I had only one case to focus on, and I had no choice but to give it my all. But fate wasn't cutting me any slack. Just as I had everything ready for the trial, I got an email from the other party saying they wanted to replace me with another lawyer.
Lila apologized, "Diana, I know this is tough, but our firm doesn't have many cases right now..." She looked at me with a mix of sympathy and helplessness.
"How could this happen? I've already lost several cases before; why do they want to replace me for the only one left?" I wasn't mad at Lila, but I was filled with frustration. I bit my lip hard, my hands clenching into fists.
"They want to replace you because of the stuff about you online. They're worried your involvement will hurt their company's image. We all know the online rumors are false, but you know our firm's situation. We're getting fewer and fewer cases. If I don't agree to their request, they might go to another firm," Lila explained, looking pained and apologetic.
I got it. If it weren't for me, Lila wouldn't be running Stellar Legal Advisors. But since I handed the firm over to her, her responsibilities had skyrocketed. Stellar Legal Advisors wasn't a small operation; there were many partners and lawyers relying on her. She couldn't ignore their interests just to make me feel better.
I forced a smile and said, "It's okay; let someone else take this case. It's not a high-commission case anyway." The smile felt so fake, like my heart was being sliced open.
Lila seemed relieved. She patted my shoulder and said, "I'll make sure to give you the first case that comes in."
I knew she meant it, but it didn't matter much to me anymore. I nodded slightly, staring blankly ahead.
We sat in silence for a while before I finally said, "Lila, don't assign me any work for now. I need a break."
"Diana, what's wrong?" Lila asked, noticing my pale face.
I forced another smile and shook my head. "It's nothing; maybe I'm just too tired lately. I always feel like I can't get enough sleep. Maybe a break will help."
Lila looked relieved. "Then take a good rest. Don't worry about Stellar Legal Advisors. I can handle it," she said.
I knew she was just trying to keep it together. I turned back to my desk, everything still in the state of my busy days, with legal books and documents piled up. Every case was my battlefield, every victory my glory.
But now, because of those baseless online rumors, I was in this mess. I opened my computer and searched my name. The screen was filled with fake news, like a swarm of demons spreading their lies. The headlines were more sensational than the last, like daggers stabbing my eyes: #Famous Lawyer Diana's Secrets Exposed, # Ms. Cooper's Unspeakable Secrets, and so on.
The content was utterly ridiculous, painting me as someone who would do anything to win, completely devoid of morals. Those false accusations were like poison, slowly destroying my reputation.
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