Chapter 2 Losing the Baby
I took a sip of my coffee and continued preparing the litigation materials. The bitter taste matched my mood as I reviewed each piece of evidence against Julio.
My assistant Susan walked in. She'd just graduated from law school this year and usually helped me organize documents and files.
Susan placed the case files I needed on my desk, the papers rustling in the quiet office. Her hands trembled slightly as she set them down, and I noticed dark circles under her eyes.
"Thank you, Susan." I thanked her and buried my head back in the litigation materials, scanning through witness statements and police reports. Each page reminded me of that horrific night when my world collapsed.
"Ashley..." Susan hesitated, her voice trailing off uncertainly.
I looked up at her, waiting for whatever she wanted to say. Her face was pale with worry, lips pressed into a thin line.
"Adam Corporation has way too much pull. Erasing Julio's fingerprints from that fruit knife and faking mental illness reports is child's play for them. I'm afraid if you keep going against Adam Corporation, your life could be in danger."
I knew Susan meant well. Adam Corporation's business spread throughout Los Angeles like a spider web, reaching into every corner of the city.
Julio's parents had intimate relationships with many political figures. Plenty of council members got elected with Adam Corporation's backing. They owned half the city through shell companies and backdoor deals.
"Susan, I appreciate your concern. But those murdered people were my parents. I have to get justice for them. Even if it costs me my own life!" I smiled at her, trying to project confidence I didn't feel. "Once you finish organizing the files, don't get involved anymore. I don't want to drag you into this mess."
Susan's eyes filled with tears, but she nodded reluctantly. She understood what I was asking of her. She said nothing more. She left in silence, closing the door softly behind her.
At two in the afternoon, I submitted the litigation materials to the court. The courthouse steps felt endless as I climbed them with my briefcase. The clerk stamped the documents with mechanical efficiency, barely glancing at the thick stack of papers that represented my parents' lives.
What I had to do next was wait for the court to file the case and schedule a hearing. Then I would fight tooth and nail to make sure that scumbag Julio got what he deserved. I'd use every legal trick I knew, every connection I'd made in my years as a criminal defense attorney.
Thinking about Julio made my heart ache all over again. Those past two years, we'd been so sweet together. He'd bring me coffee every morning, exactly how I liked it. We'd talk about our future, about the children we'd have. We'd planned to get married next week at the small church where my parents were married. I never imagined he was a complete fraud from day one.
And I was a complete fool for believing his lies, for falling in love with a murderer.
At ten that night, I returned to my parents' house in San Fernando. The old two-story house looked weathered in the dim streetlight. I used to live with Julio in downtown LA because it was convenient for work.
But now my parents had died in that place. I couldn't keep staying in that house where their blood still stained the hardwood floor, where their memories haunted every corner.
Even from a distance, I sensed something was wrong. The house was pitch black, like nobody was home. No lights in any windows, no flicker of television screens. The porch light that James always left on was dark.
But James had been living here. He was still in school.
James had always been well-behaved, responsible beyond his twenty years. Even if he wanted to hang out with classmates, he'd give me a heads-up. But today I hadn't received any text from him. That wasn't like him at all.
"James?" I called out in the house, my voice echoing in the empty rooms. The silence felt oppressive.
No one answered. The silence was deafening, broken only by the hum of the refrigerator.
An uneasy feeling crept into my heart like ice water spreading through my veins. I called James, my fingers shaking as I dialed his number.
The phone connected quickly. I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.
"James, where are you? Why aren't you home yet?"
"Ashley," the voice on the other end wasn't James. It was deep, cold, menacing. "We've got James. If you don't drop the charges against Julio tomorrow, you'll see James's corpse at this time tomorrow night. I guarantee it!"
"Fitch!" I immediately recognized the voice that haunted my nightmares.
Fitch Adam. Julio's father. The man who'd raised a monster and taught him that money could buy anything, even freedom after murder.
"In your dreams!" I roared at him, fury consuming me like wildfire. "I'm definitely sending Julio to prison! You bunch of lunatics! Let James go!"
"Ashley, we can have a win-win situation. Just drop the charges, and we'll not only release James but give you fifty million dollars." Fitch's attitude was condescending, like he was discussing a simple business transaction over lunch.
They had no shame whatsoever. They felt no remorse about Julio killing my parents in cold blood, about destroying an innocent family.
This made my blood boil. My brain was about to explode with rage and helplessness.
"Go to hell!" If Fitch were standing in front of me right now, I'd punch him in the face and watch him bleed.
"Calm down! Calm down!" Fitch remained eerily calm, which made him even more terrifying than if he'd been screaming. "You have all night to think about it. Your parents are already dead. Do you really want your brother to lose his life too?"
Fitch's words hit me right in the heart like a dagger twisting in an old wound. I couldn't just ignore James's safety. He was all I had left in this world.
But that's exactly what made this so painful. They knew my weakness and were exploiting it without mercy.
I gripped the disconnected phone and sat on the couch all night, staring at family photos on the mantle. Pictures of happier times when we were all together.
The next morning, I drove to the courthouse with heavy steps and dropped the charges against Julio.
Walking out of the courthouse, the harsh sunlight made me squint. The brightness felt like mockery of my defeat.
Tears streamed down my face. I felt warm liquid flowing from below.
It was blood！
I lose my baby！