Katy P.O.V
The doors to the courthouse glided open like the mouth of a beast ready to swallow anyone foolish enough to walk inside.I paused for a second at the entrance,the winter air brushing across my skin,leaving goosebumps behind. Cameras clicked instantly-too fast,too loud.
"Katy Perezato! Miss Perezato,a word please!"
"Is it true you're here for the Sassy Nunabae case?"
"Miss Perezato,was the murderer someone from the penthouse?"
I didn't look at them.
I couldn't.
Their questions are knives and today I have no shield sharp enough to block them.
I walked straight inside.
The courtroom swallowed me whole.Polished floors,humming fluorescent lights,the smell of cold papers and old wood.The air was tense, stretched thin like everyone was holding the same breath.
And then...
I saw Scarlett and Sally handcuffed,pale from sleepless nights.
For a moment,my chest constricted so tightly I nearly forgot to breathe.I shouldn't care.Their mess isn't mine. Their choices...their lies...their scam...it's not something my name should be attached to.
But seeing them like this-broken, scared and shaking-
my heart betrayed me.
What if I helped them?
What if I stood up and said I'd take the case?
What if I fought for them?
But I can't.
I can't risk my reputation,my life's work-over two girls whose stories I barely understand.
While I sit,trying to force my heartbeat to calm,a familiar scent reached me.His cologne was deep, expensive, and unforgettable.
Richardo slid into the seat beside me like a shadow taking its rightful place.
Before I could react,he leaned in and pressed a soft peck on my cheek.To everyone else,it looked like affection.
To me,it felt like possession.
"I was so upset when I saw the news" He murmured,his voice lowered,soothing...practiced. "A murder in Pris Penthouse? How could something so terrible happen so close to you?"
I swallowed the discomfort burning my throat.
"I-I know" I whispered. "It's horrifying"
His hand squeezed mine.But as he uttered,my eyes drifted to Sally.
She was staring directly at him.
Not in fear.
Not in confusion.
But with an anger so sharp it made the hair on my arms rise.
She knew something.
Richardo didn't notice.Or maybe he did and simply doesn't care.He kept talking,shaking his head,pretending to care about the tragedy that unfolded like it doesn't paint his name in shadows behind him.
"My love" He said softly, "a case like this...you should stay far away from it.I don't want you getting hurt"
My stomach tightened.
Why does it feel like a warning?
The trial had began.
The defense lawyer stood,exhausted but determined.Scarlett and Sally trembled beside him,their hands cuffed tightly.Scarlett's lip quivered.Sally kept her head down.
The prosecutor presented evidence.
Piece by piece.
Record after record.
Testimony after testimony.
And yet I could feel it.
Something was missing. Something wasn't right.
The girls' lawyer tried desperately to argue back.
"Your Honor,this evidence does not conclusively-"
"Your Honor,we request more time to-"
"These statements were taken under duress-"
But it was no use.
Scarlett broke into tears.
Sally clenched her jaw.
The courtroom became a storm they can't escape.
I felt my fingers trembling.
I curled them into a fist.
I could help them.
I could fix this.
I could stand up and say the truth feels wrong,the narrative is twisted,the pieces don't fit-
But I don't.
My silence is a cage I willingly stepped into.
The judge finally spoke,his voice echoing like a funeral bell.
"Given the severity of the accusations,Scarlett Rivera and Sally Nunabae will remain in custody until the final trial.Court dismissed"
The gavel slammed down.
Scarlett cried out-heartbroken, betrayed, lost.
Sally closed her eyes as if bracing herself for the darkness ahead.
Officers grabbed them by the arms.
Reporters rushed forward.
Microphones pushed like weapons.
And I...
I sat frozen.
I did nothing.
Richardo stood beside me,his hand sliding around my waist again as if shielding me from the chaos.He kissed my forehead gently.
"You don't need to watch that" He whispered. "Come.Let's go home"
I let him guide me out.
Step by step.
Flash by flash.
Question after question thrown my way like stones.
But I answered none.
Because if I open my mouth,even once...
I might scream.
I might confess.
I might admit that something about this-about him-terrifies me.
We exited the courthouse and the cold wind slapped my face.Reporters surrounded us,chasing us like shadows hungry for truth:
"Do you believe the girls are guilty?"
"Miss Katy,were you aware of their activities?"
"Do you have a statement about the murder?"
"Is it true your fiancé is involved somehow?"
Richardo pulled me even closer,his jaw clenched with his voice low:
"Don't talk to them"
I didn't.
Because the truth is a weapon neither of us can afford.
As i walked to the car,I saw Scarlett and Sally being taken away in the distance.Their faces streaked with tears.Their futures slipping into a darkness I helped create by doing nothing.
Something inside me shattered.
Quietly.
Silently.
Completely.
Because I know,deep down,this wasn't justice.
This was only the beginning.
Richardo's hand was warm against my back as he helped me into the car,shielding me from the reporters crowding around like vultures.The door hasn't even shut yet when my phone began to ring.
The caller was Donald.
My heart sank.
Bad news never waits.
I swiped to answer.
"Donald? What now?"
His voice spilled through the speaker,breathless...trembling.
"Miss Katy-something terrible has happened.A dead body was found...in the fountain at Pris Penthouse"
My breath caught painfully in my chest.
"A...dead body?"
"Yes, ma'am.The entire place is blocked off.Reporters,police,paramedics-everything is chaotic. They're pulling the body out now-"
Chaos. Murder. Another catastrophe for the penthouse.
For a moment...A cold thought crept into my mind.
Sharp and dangerous.
Richardo who was missing earlier.He always seemed to disappear, then reappear at the perfect moments.He always has explanations. Always smiles. Always so...in control.
My stomach twisted.
"Do you..." I paused,my voice barely a whisper, "think he could be-"
No.
NO.
I shut the thought down instantly.
Donald continued, "Ma'am,the whole building is panicking.We don't know who it is yet-"
"Shut the reporters down" I cut him off sharply,rubbing my temple as the pressure throbbed behind my eyes. "Nobody is allowed to speak.No one posts anything.Not a single article goes out.Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Miss-"
The line ended abruptly as I cut the call.
"You look pale" Richardo said,sliding into the car beside me,concern etched into his voice. "What happened?"
I hesitated before answering.
"A body...was found in the fountain at Pris Penthouse.The place is chaotic.Detectives, reporters...everything"
His brows pulled together, the perfect image of shock.
"That's awful" he murmured. "I'm coming with you"
"No" I replied quickly. "This is my building.My responsibility.You don't have to get involved"
But he moved deeper into the car anyway,settling beside me,pulling the door shut.
"Katy" He said softly, "I care about you more than anything.Let me stand beside you"
My chest tightened at his words.
"Fine" I whispered.
The driver started the car.
The ride back felt endless. My pulse thumped in my ears and my throat felt tight like my emotions were trapped inside,clawing to escape.
When we arrived,Donald rushed toward me before I could fully step out.
"Miss Katy!" He called,breathing heavily. "The cops are inside.They're already investigating"
I nodded stiffly and moved toward the entrance.
Richardo followed close behind like a second shadow.
The moment I reached the giant fountain,the world slowed.
Lights. Cameras.
Paramedics kneeling by the water.
Detectives taking frantic notes.
Police holding the crowds back.
Residents gathered with their hands over their mouths, whispering, trembling.
Cold dread sank into my bones.
The paramedics began to pull the body out.
I stood frozen.
And then-
I sawthe face.
My heart stopped.
The world turned soundless.
Motionless.
Empty.
My dad's skin was ghostly pale, soaked with freezing water.
Bruises painted his body-dark, cruel marks of suffering.
His clothes looked ripped.
His fingers scraped raw.
His blood staining the water like melted red paint.
"No..." My voice escaped as a whisper. "No-no-NO"
Something inside me collapsed.
I staggered backwards,clutching my chest and gasping.
My vision blurred.
My ears rang.
My throat burned as I choked on my own breath.
He's gone.
My father.
Gone.
Even with all the arguments.
Even with all the resentment.
Even after the harsh words I threw at him earlier...
I never wished him gone.
I never wished this.
Donald began explaining something-words that faded into noise.
"The cameras didn't capture anything,ma'am...someone shut them down...we don't know who did it-"
I turned to him slowly,tears streaming down my cheeks.
One glare.
He shuts up instantly, bowing his head.
I couldn't hear another word.
Not a single syllable.
I walked away.
Reporters swarmed me as I headed for the elevator:
"Miss Katy, is it true the victim is your father?"
"Do you think this murder is connected to the Nunabae case?"
"How will this affect your position as head attorney in five major trials?"
"Was your father involved with the Sassy murder?"
Their voices pierced my skull.
The questions stabbed deeper and deeper until my sob threatened to rip out of me.
I held it in.
Barely.
Only when I stepped into the elevator...
Only when the doors finally slid shut...
Only then did my strength evaporate.
By the time we reached my floor, I was shaking uncontrollably.
The moment I closed the door behind me-
My knees buckled.
A suffocating sob escaped me.
Loud. Painful. Broken.
Richardo caught me before I hit the floor,pulling me against his chest.His arms wrapped around me tightly, cradling me as if I'm made of shattered glass.
I cried harder.
"I-I was so cruel to him" I choked out. "I said terrible things.I didn't mean any of it-I didn't...I didn't want him to die!"
The grief flooded out of me, uncontrollable and raw.
"I should've apologized...I should've-"
"Shh..." He murmured, stroking my hair. "It's okay.You didn't know, Katy. You couldn't have known"
I buried my face into his shoulder, sobbing until my throat ached and my chest hurt.
He held me.
Tight,steady and warm.
And as I cried,he watched me with an expression I couldn't see.
But if I could...I might notice that his eyes don't show grief.
Only satisfaction.