An Unfair Trial
1887 Words
FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS, Aela gave her full attention to her daughter. She made herself forget about her husband's infidelity, as well as the divorce coming to their door.
Instead, she made more time to play and have quality bonding times for her daughter. During the mornings, she would play with Ania in their backyard while teaching her how to take care of plants and flowers. In the afternoon, they would play board games and watch some movies together. At night, they would read short children's stories until Ania fell asleep.
Surprisingly, Ania never asked where her father was or when they would go home. She seemed to be too comfortable inside their new shelter, even considering it as her own.
At first, Aela was worried that her daughter might feel sad because of the situation. Fortunately, her presence and the people around her seemed to be enough for Ania.
"Mi figlia, let's paint some irises, shall we?" Aela asked her daughter, who was busy rolling on the mat. Ania's arms and legs were stretched as she lay down on her stomach.
Ania turned her head up to look at her mother and smiled. "Iris! I love irises!" she exclaimed before standing up.
She ran towards the art room, specifically made for Aela when she was a child. Amelia built the art room when she noticed her granddaughter's love for drawings and paintings.
Aela followed her daughter, and she saw her picking up some paintbrushes and the paints in the violet palette. Ania put those things on the table before pulling the small chair.
"I'll paint irises on a vase," Ania spoke before picking up the pencil. Every stroke of her hand resulted in a beautiful sketch of an iris.
One would think that the sketch was made by a grown-up person, maybe a teenager who is good at painting. But the truth is, only a five-year-old child made it.
Aela watched her daughter while she also drew her version of irises. Instead of putting the irises on a vase, she put it between the hand of a woman and a child.
"Woah," Ania's lips formed an o-shape while looking at the painting of her mother. "That's so cool, mamma. I want to draw hands too, but they look like sausages."
Aela playfully pinched her child's cheeks, and the latter giggled. She has a few paint stains on her dress that her mother wiped out.
"You're still a child, Ania. That's why it still looks like sausages," Aela responded to her child. "If you practice every day, the time will come, and you will draw the most realistic hand painting ever."
"Then I'll practice every day!" Ania exclaimed while clenching her fists near her face and nodding with determination. "Starting today, Ania's goal is to paint beautiful hands!"
The child looked for another small canvas before painting hands. Seconds, minutes, and an hour passed by before Ania felt tired.
"Mamma, I want to sleep," she spoke while tugging her mother's shirt.
"Okay. Let's go to our room," Aela replied before holding her small hands and guiding her towards the second floor of the house.
Ania hurriedly ran towards the bed while wiping her eyes. She removed her slippers before jumping to the bed and lying on her stomach.
Aela put some pillows aside to make more space. "Move up, mi figlia. I'll put the blanket over you."
"Okay," the child wiggled her body to move upwards. "Afternoon nap. I'll have an afternoon nap," she sang while her mother was covering her with a blanket from her arms to her toes.
Aela lay down beside her daughter and watched her as she started to sleep. Suddenly, her phone beeped and revealed Dante's name on the screen.
From: Attorney Dante Ferrera
Message: I'll have my man send the divorce papers to you. After that, all you have to do is to make sure that Mr. Tavano will sign. Afterwards, we will file the adultery case.
She just sent an acknowledgment message before turning off her phone. Just a while ago, she was happy because of her daughter. She didn't think of anything that was happening around her.
But now that the divorce was brought up, it immediately made her mood sour. The only thing that held her back from filing a divorce before was because of Ania. She doesn't want her child to have a broken family.
But realizations hit her, thanks to her grandmother. She can live with Ania and she can support her child. After all, Ignacio's wealth came from her.
"Mamma, are you okay?" Ania asked suddenly, which made Aela surprised. She thought that her daughter was already asleep.
"No, mi figlia. But Mamma will be fine," she answered truthfully before caressing Ania's face.
Ania pursed her lips and looked down as if she was contemplating whether to say something or not.
"Is it because of pappa?" Ania asked while looking straight at her mother's eyes.
Aela was taken aback by the question. When she didn't answer, Ania continued. "You always look sad when you and Nonna talk about Pappa, so I thought it was because of him again."
"Ania," the woman touched her daughter's hand gently. "Do you want to live with your father?"
Ania didn't hesitate to answer. "I want to live with you, Mamma."
"How about your father? Do you like to be with him?" she asked again.
"If you're with him, then I will stay. But if not, then I will go with you," she answered before hugging her mother. "I only want you, mamma."
Aela's eyes cannot help but form some tears. She was worried for nothing. For the past few days, she thought her daughter might be heartbroken once they got divorced. But upon hearing her child's words, she is now sure that it will be fine for Ania to have an incomplete family.
"Mi figlia, your father doesn't want me anymore, so we will separate. Is that okay with you?" she asked while gently rubbing her head.
Ania looked up at her. "Will you take me with you, mamma?"
"Of course," she nods.
"Then I'm fine with it," Ania smiled and hugged her tighter.
THE NEXT MORNING, Aela went to their previous house with the divorce papers in her hands. From afar, she can see two people interacting affectionately in their yard.
She stopped the car in front of it, which earned a glare from Ignacio and a confused look from his mistress. Aela stepped out of the car and walked towards them.
"Didn't I tell you not to show your face to me?" Ignacio spat out before grabbing Sera's waist possessively as if Aela would do something to the woman.
Aela ignored his remarks and went straight to the point. "These are the divorce papers. Signed them today and I'll have it ready after a few days."
A smile formed on Ignacio's face. Finally, he's getting rid of the obstacles in his life. He grabbed the papers and read them. Sera also joined and skimmed the contents of the paper.
Suddenly, Sera frowned upon reading the conditions of the divorce. She was about to speak about it when Ignacio stopped her.
"Give me a pen, Sera," he asked his mistress.
"There's no need," Aela picked up a pen from her bag and gave it to Ignacio. "No need to bring that pen back to me."
Ignacio hurriedly signed the papers, which were already signed by Aela. Afterward, he gave the papers back.
A relieved smile showed up on Aela's face. She didn't give more attention to the two and turned her back to them. She left the area after getting what she wanted.
"A lump sum support of ten million euros?" Sera asked Ignacio when the woman already left. "You will seriously give her that?"
Ignacio smirked as a plan formed in his mind. "Of course, not. I already know her next moves, and we will be steps ahead of her," he turned his head to his mistress. "She will leave this marriage without getting a single penny. I promised you that."
AND IGNACIO'S WORDS came true. On the day of the trial, which was supposed to surprise him, Ignacio was well-prepared. He was already looking forward to victory now that the judge was on his side.
"These are the pieces of evidence of Mr. Tavano's infidelity to his wife. He was having an affair with another woman behind his wife's back," Dante explained to the judge while pointing his hand to the monitor that showed the videos they got from the house's CCTV cameras.
"Marriage infidelity is considered a psychological abuse, your honor. And the defendant violated that."
Dante's arguments ended after a few moments, earning good reactions from the crowd. However, the judge seemed unimpressed by his words.
Ignacio's lawyer came forward and explained the situation based on Ignacio's perspective. "Your honor, the grounds for their divorce is not adultery. Rather, it is desertion," he spoke before showing their pieces of evidence.
"Mrs. Mykhaela Tavano left with her child without informing the defendant. May I request Mr. Tavano to come up here to answer some questions?"
Suddenly, Ignacio walked towards the podium. His eyes were sunken; his hair was disheveled. He looked like he didn't have enough sleep for the past few days.
"Mr. Tavano, can you please explain what happened?"
Ignacio looked at the lawyer with sad eyes. "My wife and my daughter suddenly disappeared when I went home from work. At first, I thought they were still at school, so I waited. But late night already came, and they're still not at him," his voice cracked while explaining.
"I looked for them. I asked every relative of my wife, but I got no answer. I was worried because something might have happened to them," he wiped a single tear that fell from his eyes. "Then I found out that she's been living with her grandmother. She doesn't want to go home because, for her, I was not worth it. She said she would just file a divorce to end everything, and—"
Ignacio wasn't able to finish his words when he started crying heavily. "I just want to be with my child," he spoke between his cries.
"That didn't happen!" Aela spoke to Dante with furrowed eyebrows. "He's lying!"
Dante assured her. "Don't worry. Our evidence is stronger, and we will win unless the judge has already paid. I just hope the judge is not a bastard."
More cries and lies escaped from Ignacio's sinful mouth until they finished. After a few minutes, the result of the trial is already out.
"Mr. Ignacio Tavano was found not guilty of the crime. The divorce procedure will go through and the settlement stated in the papers will be considered void. So ordered."
Aela stood up from her place, as well as the other people inside the court who were confident that Aela will win. "No! How did that happen?!"
The people on Aela's side started to attack the judge, who easily left the room, ignoring their calls. On the other hand, Ignacio was celebrating inside because of his victory.
"You really think you will get money from me? Dream on, Mykhaela," Ignacio taunted before leaving the court with a victorious smile on his face.
- Writer
