Chapter 11

Zachary went home in despondence, but awaiting him there was the "surprise" I left for him. Not for a second did I ever intend to forgive his arrogance, mistrust, and mockery of me so easily.As soon as he opened the door and turned on the lights, he saw the familiar-looking jar I left on the dining table. It was the one Marie brought from her place. I even left a note on it."These are the pickles Mom made and brought over immediately after you mentioned them during your call with her. Do you think she would've died if she hadn't come over to deliver this that day?"Zachary fell to his knees. Tears streamed uncontrollably. He looked like an anguished beast, howling in despair."Mom! Mom! It's all my fault! I know I did a terrible thing. I'm to blame for everything!"I witnessed the whole thing through the security footage from my phone, and I sneered at his reaction. What was the use of regretting everything now? There was no way to bring Marie back.Once Zachary calmed down som

Chapter 12

Someone went online and posted about the incident at the courthouse entrance. The news was quickly shared by many accounts with massive followings.In today's society, a shocking headline would certainly get a lot of attention, and this one about a lawyer who helped his mother's killer get acquitted undoubtedly fitted the bill.Soon, many people in the comments had unearthed information about Zachary and Gigi. Just like what happened at the courthouse, everyone piled onto the two of them.Gigi remained as arrogant and indifferent as ever, probably because she assumed that Zachary had done away with all the evidence that could've incriminated her. As the news went viral, she even started a livestream."Yes, I was driving the car, but who's to say I hit her? She was just trying to scam me by faking an accident and claiming compensation from me! How can you say such things about me without any evidence?"I was just speeding and driving while drunk. The only punishment I got was havin

Chapter 13

Thanks to the release of this footage, the public's opinion of Zachary improved. Some thought he had merely been hoodwinked by Gigi. They even considered him a fellow victim.I saw their comments, and they made me laugh.I didn't know if Zachary was purposely trying to achieve something. Nevertheless, neither John nor I—not even Marie—would forgive him.Gigi was deplorable, but Zachary was far more reprehensible. He was part of our family. He should've been on our side, but he wasn't. There was no way for such hurt to ever be forgotten.No one showed up on the day of Zachary's sentencing. It served as a kind of punishment for him as well. Later on, I heard from John that Zachary took his own life while in prison. With his dying breath, he continued to apologize to Marie, John, and me.Once I heard that he was dead, the last of my anger dissipated. I still resented him, of course. How could I not? I resented him for betraying me and our marriage, for not trusting me, and for indire

All Chapters of In Defense of a Murderer: Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13