Chapter 3

After leaving the police station and returning home, I had my lawyer draft a lawsuit.

Just as I finished mailing it out, Jennifer, who claimed she had many autopsies to do, unexpectedly came home early. She burst through the door with fury and hurled a glass cup at me.

The glass shattered against the wall.

Her chest heaved with rage as she pointed angrily at me and shouted, "Patrick, have you no shame? Justin didn’t mean to kill your family! You can’t just take your anger out on an innocent person just because your family died!"

"So, Justin told you everything, huh?"

Jennifer sneered. "I just finished celebrating his birthday when the police arrested him. On the way to the station, he told me everything. It wasn’t on purpose—he was just in a rush to see me."

"Besides, if your parents weren’t so old and careless crossing the street, none of this would’ve happened. They even got your sister killed in the process.”

She paused when she noticed my expression shift slightly and softened her tone a bit.

"Patrick, don’t be so upset. What’s done is done—let it go. Don’t make this ugly. Justin and I talked about it. We’ll give you 300 thousand dollars and settle this privately."

I laughed, my eyes fixed on her.

“So my parents’ and sister’s lives are worth 100,000 each?”

Her expression darkened.

She shoved me, her voice low and laced with warning, “Don’t push your luck. 100,000 is already considered generous. Your parents were old anyway. Now that they’re gone, you’re free from all that responsibility. Getting 300,000 is free money.”

Her tone made it clear; No matter what, she would take Justin’s side. Whatever he said, she would believe without question.

My chest ached slightly as I smiled at her. “I believe the legal process will reveal the truth.”

Seeing my resolve, Jennifer scoffed. “It seems my kindness is wasted on you. Don’t come crying when you lose the case!”

She slammed the door and left.

It was on the day of the trial that I realized where her confidence stemmed from.

…

The courtroom was solemn, packed wall-to-wall with people.

I walked to the stand and, without hesitation, played the surveillance video of Justin running down my family.

Faced with the judge’s questioning, Justin stammered, “I- I-”

Seeing him flounder, Jennifer stepped up to testify.

“As the medical examiner who performed the autopsy, I can provide evidence that all three victims died from pre-existing health conditions, not from a traffic collision."

“A single surveillance clip proves nothing. Either bring real evidence, or this could be considered slander!”

She was full of confidence.

She even submitted the autopsy report. To help Justin avoid responsibility, she went to great lengths.

Seeing me remain silent, Jennifer’s eyes glinted with smugness and provocation.

“I told you. You should’ve just settled this quietly. With the weak evidence you’ve got, what do you think you can do? Now you’re just making a fool of yourself.”

Justin, standing beside her, added gently, “Don’t be too upset, Jen. Don’t let him come between us.”

Then he looked at me with a show of guilt.

“Patrick, I do want to apologize. What happened to your parents, I didn’t mean it. Jen said 300 thousand dollars would be fair, but I personally think we should offer more.”

Then, in open court, he offered me an apology and proposed a settlement.

I replied flatly, “No problem. I’ve moved on. I’ll send you my bank details—just transfer the money there. I won’t ask for much. 600 thousand dollars is fine. My parents’ and sister’s lives deserve at least 200 thousand dollars each. They're not that cheap.”

Jennifer looked genuinely surprised by my sudden shift. Justin did not look pleased at the number, but eventually agreed.

When the 600 thousand dollars was transferred to my account, I smiled with satisfaction.

Then, I turned to Jennifer and said, “I’ve prepared the divorce papers. Let’s go to the marriage registrar's office before it closes.”

She froze for a second, then snatched the papers.

With a cold laugh, she snapped, “You’d divorce me over something this petty? You call yourself a man?”

She threw the papers on the ground and stomped on them, then turned and walked off with Justin without even glancing at me.

As she left, she tossed out one last sentence, “Take your money and enjoy it. That’s all your parents and sister’s lives were worth.”

I raised my eyebrows slightly, saying nothing. She still thought it was my parents who died.

I replied calmly, “Still, we were once family. As their daughter-in-law, the least you can do is come and say goodbye to them one last time. Just think of it as us sending them off.”

“You’re crazy!”

She called me crazy—but still followed me to the morgue.

She saw those mangled bodies multiple times during the autopsies. It was nothing new.

She walked in looking bored.

And that’s when I pulled out their official death certificates and quietly said, “Dad, Mom, Jane—Jennifer's to see you.”

When she saw the names on those certificates, she froze. Her eyes widened, turning bloodshot in an instant.