68: It should be the end of all

The courthouse was crowded, and the heavy weight of judgment and anticipation felt as if it would kill Khana. Whispers passed with the blade of knives in the air. The glances sent her way seeded contempt and hate. "Wretched wife," someone hissed from the back. "Shameless," whispered another. The words seemed to resound louder, filling the room: whore, traitor, unfit mother.

Khana clenched her fists to help block out the hateful murmurs. Her gaze flickered over to Richard, who sat tall and composed on the other side of the courtroom. He looked every inch the wronged husband: calm, almost handsome. He was only making the public support him so much. Now Khana could really feel the weight of the room's collective disapproval bearing down on her, crushing what little resolve she had left.

The banging of the gavel jolted her out of her reverie. The judge was an old woman who was strict and unyielding. "The court is in session," she said. "First up for today's docket will be the charge against Mrs. Khana Santillan for adultery. Mr. Richard Santillan, you are the respondent in this case. Mrs. Santillan, you are the defendant. Both parties will present their case today."

The beating of her heart accelerated as the ritual commenced. She looked up at her thin audience. There was her maid, the woman who had tended Kharl from infancy, sitting motionless in the back of the row, her eyes filled with pity. The other gooney she had was a family acquaintance of rather archeological vintage, whose peepers were just as docile. But that was it. Two faces out of scores. Her loneliness in that room was as tangible as the cold glares directed at her.

Her eyes focused across the floor to the audience, scanning for familiar faces until they connected to Chloe's.

Chloe quickly turned away, breaking the connection as if it had never existed. A pang of doubt surged through Khana’s chest.

What is she doing? Khana thought. Why won’t she look at me? Anxiety gnawed at her, twisting her insides.

She wouldn’t betray me, right? The thought intruded into her mind like a shadow creeping across her heart.

The attorney who represented Richard opened his mouth, speaking in a cold calculating tone. "Your Honor, we will show today that Mrs. Santillan has broken the sacred bonds of marriage. We can present facts and evidence of her continued affair with a priest, a man she has been having secret meetings with. My client, Mr. Santillan is a devoted husband who trusted his wife implicitly, and she has repaid that trust by deceiving him in the worst ways imaginable. Mrs. Santillan, on the other hand, is pushing for divorce to avoid an adultery case."

Khana's stomach churned. The accusations were poison, sinking inside her veins, injecting falsehoods. Richard was sitting there, poised and immobile, and it only made her feel smaller, more guilty despite the lies being spun.

The murmurs in the crowd continued to rise, fueling the fire of condemnation about her. "She's a shame to all mothers," one woman whispered. "How could she do that to her child?" another murmured. People said the words "unfit mother" seemed to be floating in the air.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the judge. "Mrs. Santillan, you will now have the opportunity to defend yourself against these accusations." The room fell silent, every pair of eyes boring into her.

She gulped hard and stood up. Her knees felt weak beneath her; still, she refused to let them buckle. The moment of truth has come, it's now or never.

She didn't do anything wrong, why let those accusations define her?

"No, your honor. That's a serious accusation. I have never had an illicit relationship with anyone. Henry was a childhood friend of mine and we have long lost contact and happened to cross paths again when I ran away. Hence, the claim that I was having a long affair with a priest is utter lies."

Richard's attorney presented the letter Bettina secretly obtained, the old love letters Khana and Henry had before the latter became a priest. The atty. uttered, "The two were lovers, and even though Mrs. Santillan is married, they continued seeing each other. Mrs. Santillan ran away from home and eloped with a priest named Henry."

All eyes were directed at the one speaking, defending herself against all prejudices.

Khana refuses to let them win, she speaks nothing but the truth. "I've been wanting to divorce Richard ever since I discovered all his lies. He made me believe he was terminally ill and even forced me to marry him. On the day, I made my point he slapped me and I feared he'd be more aggressive, thus I ran away."

A moment of silence lingered, and then Khana continued, "I ran into an old friend, which is Henry. I only spent days there to cool my head and returned home, but Richard found me there and assumed I eloped with the priest."

Unbeknownst to all, Chloe had secretly recorded Bettina and Richard's conversation, clearly stating they deceived Khana and the marriage was forceful. The court ruling was to dissolve the marriage, for it was at fault and existed due to force. Also, Richard being infertile, leading to emotional grief was added as grounds for the divorce to be granted.

Chloe handed over the files to Serina without alarming Richard. At the end of the day, justice prevails. It was a long and tiring day, but it was worth it for Khana when the judge accepted the divorce and gave Kharl's custody to Khana.

After winning the case, Khana's parents apologized for their behavior, though Khana accepted it. She insists on leaving the country and flying to Canada.

At the airport, Serina embraced Khana and promised her. She'll visit if time permits.

"How would you explain Kharl's father, you know time will come and your son will look for his dad," Serina uttered, watching Khana pick up the luggage.

"I-I don't know. I'll think about it some other time," Khana replied.

When Khana left, Setina went to the church and looked for Father Henry. She drove all the way from the city to the remote area, with one thing on her mind...

"I heard she won the trial. I thought she'd be happy with Richard. I thought she'd live the best life with the man who loves her and can provide a wealthy life for her," says Henry, watching the clouds move.

"Actually, she doesn't want to let you know, but..." Serina gulped and hesitated, thinking she was meddling with Khana's decision, but she was hoping Henry would take action if he discovered Kharl's real identity.