“As far as I know, my father-in-law kept staring at my friend Heidi. He disrupted public order and frightened a pregnant woman. Had I not been present, who knows what he might have done. I was protecting the community. I would rather uphold justice than shield my own family.”
As he spoke, he placed Heidi behind him, guarding her like she was some priceless treasure.
Then he shot me an irritated look.
“You’re not at the hospital caring for a cripple, yet you come here to accuse me? This is a courtroom. We speak with evidence, not emotion. Withdraw the suit. If something happens to your family because of this, I won’t take responsibility.”
At that moment, I finally understood why she tried so hard to stop me from calling the police.
Even when I knelt and begged her, she refused to stand up for my father.
Because from beginning to end, she stood on Heidi’s side.
I clenched my teeth, pushing down my fury as I tried one last time to summon even a shred of humanity from him.
“My father treated you like his own son. He helped you with everything, supported your promotions, helped you chase your dreams. He gave you everything he could.”
“Now he lies half dead because of you. You are his son-in-law. Can you truly live with yourself?”
Caleb rolled his eyes, speaking with disdain.
“Law is impartial. I am righteous in this. I stand with truth, not with family. I am willing to testify that your father’s leg was already damaged before. It has nothing to do with me.”
He lied without even a flicker of emotion.
My hands trembled with anger as I submitted the surveillance footage I had saved.
It was the crucial evidence showing Heidi striking my father first.
But when the video played, the screen showed nothing but static.
The evidence had been switched.
Heidi cast me a cold glance, mouthing two words: “Idiot.”
The only people with access to the evidence were me… and Caleb.
I slammed my hands on the table and shot to my feet. “Caleb! You tampered with the evidence! Do you have any humanity left?”
Caleb didn’t panic. He simply squeezed Heidi’s hand under the table, soothing her as gently as if comforting a child.
“Heidi is kind. She didn’t want to escalate the situation. She wanted to give your family a chance. But you came here full of malice, daring to frame her.”
Then he handed over an audio recording.
My father’s voice suddenly came through the speaker.