Chapter 4

When I reached the prison's entrance, I was trembling uncontrollably. In fact, I almost sank down to my knees right outside the prison.

Barney hurriedly approached me.

"He's fine for now. A doctor's treating your dad as we speak. But the thing is, he's in a bad spot mentally. If his sentence were to get extended by five years, I think he…"

Almost immediately, I felt my blood turning into ice in my veins.

There wasn't time for me to contact other lawyers, so I had to swallow my pride and call Evan.

"My dad got framed by the same jerk again. You know everything about his case. Please defend my dad at court, okay? Please, I'm begging you…"

But Evan's voice was glacial.

"As soon as you run into problems, your first instinct is to ask someone for help. Didn't you mention that you could find lawyers other than me?

"And here I am, thinking that you've finally learned to stand on your own feet instead of relying on me."

My fingers were trembling the whole time. This time, I was outright begging Evan.

"Just this once, okay? If you do that, I owe you one!"

Evan remained silent for a long moment. Finally, he gave me an audible response.

"I'm just throwing out what-ifs here, so don't call me heartless. But what if your dad really embezzled the company's funds back then? You have to be careful, Syrena. Don't drag both of us into the mud because of him."

After that, the phone call got disconnected.

The recurring dial tone extinguished the last trace of hope I still clung to.

I slumped onto the pavement helplessly. There, I kept dialing different numbers on my phone.

I had tried calling all the law firms in the city, but…

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Fairfield."

"We don't know much about this case. It'll take us at least one week just to get acquainted with this case's details. We wouldn't be able to make it to the trial if the case were to be reopened right now."

When I was on the brink of breaking down, I saw a text message from Evan popping up on my phone screen.

"Send me your coordinates. I'm coming over right now."

Elation washed over me instantly.

After sending my coordinates to Evan, I turned down all the other lawyers who had taken the initiative to reach out to me. At the same time, I kept praying deep down that Evan would be able to win the case for me later.

But I ended up waiting for Evan for the next three hours. Yet, he never showed up.

I called him twice during the period, only for him to reject my calls. Instead, a text message popped up on my screen.

"Minnie got hurt because Peachie bit her. I'm keeping her company while she receives a rabies injection, so I can't go to you right now."

I heard my mind buzzing loudly.

Next, I saw another message. "I'll introduce a few lawyers to you. They are all pretty decent at their job. Why don't you reach out to them instead?"

A list of phone numbers was texted to me right after. Evan never texted me back since then.

I could feel my blood starting to freeze in my veins.

At that moment, I received more news from a staff member working at the prison.

"Mr. Fairfield's heart condition acted up all of a sudden. Unfortunately, the treatment administered to him didn't work, so he passed away in the infirmary. You have our condolences, Ms. Fairfield."

In the infirmary, I saw Dad's wrinkled face being covered by a white sheet. His body lay on the bed stiffly.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. The next thing I knew, I crashed down on my knees heavily.

The sobs which were stifled in my throat escaped from my lips in a guttural fashion.

After all, the only family member I had in this world left me…

Some time later, I wiped away my tears and produced the divorce agreement which bore Evan's signature. Then, I signed the document quietly before blocking all of Evan's contact information.

…

[Third Person's POV]

When Evan finally returned to his office, he belatedly recalled that he still had Syrena's dad's case to deal with.

"Bring me my father-in-law's case files. I'd like to see if I can get the case reopened and taken to court again."

His assistant, Paul Miller, however, lowered his head.

A few moments later, he stammered out, "Mr. Fairfield couldn't withstand the stress of getting framed. The surgery meant to save his life ended up in failure, and he passed away as a result."

Upon hearing Paul's report, Evan sprang to his feet.

"Also…" Paul handed over a miscarriage report. "Mrs. Henderson wants you to have this."

All it took was one glance at the report for Evan's expression to change drastically.