Chapter 7 Unyielding Grief

After the judge's declaration, Alaric's fury erupted. He sprang to his feet, his voice echoing through the courtroom as he shouted at the judge, condemning the ruling as a blatant failure of justice. His hands clenched into fist at his side, veins bulging from his skin as his body trembled with uncontained rage. His eyes, filled with fury, locked onto the deputy prime minister, the man who had taken the life of his beloved daughter.

Gasp rippled through the courtroom. The once orderly chamber, where justice was meant to be served had become a theater of anguish. Some people in the audience turned away unable to witness Alaric's breakdown, while others leaned forward, drawn to the rawness of his grief.

The deputy prime minister, seated smugly at the defendant's table, barely reacted. He adjusted his tie as if Alaric's outburst was nothing more than an inconvenience. His indifference only stoked Alaric's rage further.

"You killed her!" Alaric roared, his voice cracking with emotion. "She was just a child!... My child!"

Overcome by grief and anger, he lunged forward, his movement fueled by nothing but the need to make the man before him suffer, to see him pay for what he had done.

The Courtroom security moved swiftly. Officers tackled him before he could reach the defendant, their grip firm as they wrestled him back. His body strained against them, every fiber of his being screaming for vengeance. He kicked and fought, but he was outnumbered. Cold mental encircled his wrists as handcuffs snapped into place.

"Let me go!" he shouted; his voice hoarse. "He should pay for what he has done! He should..."

His words broke off as the officers dragged him towards the exit. The courtroom doors swung open, revealing a long corridor. His shouts of anguish echoed through the vast space, lingering even after he was gone.

Meanwhile, Liora remained seated at the witness stand, her mind struggling to process the turn of event. The courtroom noise faded into a distant hum, like she was submerged underwater, hearing muffled voices from another world. The weight of the judge's word pressed down on her suffocating in their finality.

Not guilty.

The words kept replaying in her mind, hollow and meaningless yet carrying the power to shatter her world all over again.

Orla's life had been taken, but the man responsible is declared free.

A sharp pain pierced her chest, as if her heart was physically breaking apart.

She sat motionless, her hands clenched on her laps, fingers digging into her dress. A tear slipped down her cheek, then another followed but she did not move to wipe them away.

Time stretched, minutes feeling like hours and eventually, with slow and mechanical movements, she rose unsteadily to her feet. The walls of the courtroom felt too close, like they were pressing and suffocating her, she needed to leave, she needed air, she needed...

She didn't know what she needed.

Her legs carried her forward, but she was barely aware of where she was going to. The city bustled around her, cars honked, people laughed, street vendors called out their wares, but she heard none of it. Everything blurred together into a meaningless haze.

She walked aimlessly, her mind detached from her body, until she found herself standing at the cemetery gates.

The graveyard was quiet, untouched by the chaos of the world beyond its iron bars. The scent of damp earth lingered in the air, mingling with the floral offerings left by mourners. The sun had begun to descent, casting long shadows across the headstone.

Liora stepped forward, her breathing hitching when she reached Orla's grave.

A fresh bouquet of daisies lay against the headstone, left by someone else, perhaps a kind soul who mourned with them.

Liora collapsed on her knees. The grief that had been numbed by shock was now surging through her in full force. A strangled cry tore from her throat, the kind of sound that came from a place too deep for words.

She reached out, her fingers tracing the letters carved into the stone; "Orla Callaghan. Beloved daughter. Gone too soon"

Her hands trembled. "I'm so sorry love," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Mummy is sorry."

She lay down on the grave as if trying to get closer to her child. The ground was cold, unyielding beneath her, but she did not care. She pressed her cheek to the soil, her tears soaking into it.

"I should have protected you," she sobbed, "I should have kept you safe."

The wind whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves in a melody that reminded her painfully of Orla's laughter.

Liora stayed there until the sky turned to deep purple, until exhaustion numbed the sharpest edge of her sorrow.

When she finally pushed herself up, her body felt heavy, drained of all energy. She reached for the framed photograph resting against the headstone and pulled it close to her chest. Orla's smiling face gazed back at her, frozen in time.

She couldn't let that man walk freely without consequence, and with her newfound determination, she made her way to her car.

The city light shined in the darkening evening casting elongated shadows across the pavement. Liora drove through the streets with a focus, her eyes scanning for the man who had shattered her world.

And then she saw him walking freely, without a care in the world. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

How could he be so unaffected? How could he continue his life as if nothing had happened when she could barely breathe through the pain?

She parked abruptly, tires screeching and then she got out. Her steps quickened, anger surging through her like wildfire.

She reached him in seconds and grabbed him by the collar, yanking him to face her. "Why?" she demanded, her voice breaking, "why did you kill her?"

He blinked at her, startled at first before his face settled into an expression of cold indifference. "Why was your child in front of my car?" he said flatly, "Do you know the damage this has done to my reputation?" His words struck like a slap.

Liora's fists pounded against his chest, each hit fueled by raw grief. "Apologize to my child! Acknowledge what you have done!"

He sneered. "How much do you want for an apology?"

Liora's breath caught. She searched his face, hoping for a flicker of remorse. But there was none.

Seeing that she sought no monetary compensation, only an admission of guilt. He scoffed and then with a shove he pushed her away with a force that she barely caught herself before hitting the ground.

"Your child was bad luck," he muttered, brushing and straightening his coat and then he turned and walked away.

Liora crawled after him, grabbing his leg, pleading for an apology to her child. He kicked her away, kept walking forward and then something inside her snapped.

Trembling, she stood up and returned to her car, her breaths came in shallow gasps as she clutched Orla's picture to her chest. "I'm sorry love," she whispered, seeking forgiveness.

Then with steely determination, she started the engine.

Her hands were steady as they gripped the wheel. Her foot pressed down on the accelerator.

The car surged forward at full speed.