All Chapters of A Lawsuit Next Door: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Mrs. Cole, since your beast of a son had the guts to ruin my daughter, why doesn't he dare show his face in court?!"Don't think you can hide him away and make this disappear. I won't let this go. Lucas Cole deserves the death penalty, and your family must compensate my daughter two million in emotional damages!"In the courtroom, Fiona Harper glared at me viciously, her eyes filled with such hatred, as if she wanted to peel my skin off and tear me apart.Beside her, her daughter, Daisy Harper, cried softly, tears streaming down her face like falling petals. Her eyes were full of grievance and fear.I looked coldly at the Harpers and repeated the same words. "Lucas did not assault Daisy; he could never have assaulted her. If a crime was committed, don't pin it on the wrong person. Do not even think about blaming Lucas."Before today, I never imagined that Fiona and I would end up facing each other like enemies in a courtroom.On the day Lucas and I moved into the neighborhood, F

Chapter 2

The waves of condemnation slammed into me, but I could not have cared less. I stood there as if it had nothing to do with me at all.Daisy cried even harder. "Mrs. Cole, it was obviously Lucas. Why are you refusing to admit it? I am only eighteen. How am I supposed to face people in the future? How am I supposed to live after this?"She sobbed as she pounded her fists against her own head, her despair so raw that many people in the courtroom could not help but redden around the eyes.Fiona was heartbroken beyond measure. She pointed at my face and cursed, "Mrs. Cole, you are a parent too. How can you be this cold-blooded? If the victim today were your daughter, could you still be this indifferent?"I sneered. "My son is being framed. What is wrong with me defending my own child?"I knew very clearly that Lucas could never have done something so absurd. Nevertheless, in their eyes, I was nothing more than someone desperately making excuses.The murmurs from the jury gallery grew l

Chapter 3

When Rachel heard me say that, she let out a cold laugh."Defendant, is your son some kind of irresistible catch? Does my client, Daisy, have nothing better to do than rush to ruin her own purity just to frame him?"Daisy immediately echoed her. "I really did see Lucas. When I was heading to tutoring, I happened to see him coming out of his apartment. We took the elevator down together. He told me his name was Lucas Cole and that he was a newly moved-in neighbor."Fiona pointed at me and screamed, "Mrs. Cole, do not think that stirring up trouble here will get your son off the hook! Daisy saw him with her own eyes. She even knows his name. Stop trying to argue your way out of this!"Watching the two of them sing in perfect unison, I found it laughable.Daisy spoke with such absolute certainty because the hallway and the rooftop terrace were blind spots in the surveillance system.It was precisely because those areas were not covered by cameras that the Harpers dared to fabricate

Chapter 4

Those words exploded through the courtroom like a thunderclap.Every gaze snapped toward the so-called report, including mine.Rachel held the document high in the air, her posture triumphant, as if she had already won. "This report shows that DNA highly matching the defendant’s son was detected on Ms. Daisy’s intimate clothing and relevant areas of her body."Mrs. Cole, the evidence is overwhelming. What do you have left to say now?"I looked at the test report she was holding up, my expression completely calm. I never imagined Fiona would go this far to fabricate evidence.I rose slowly to my feet, my eyes sweeping over the Harpers and their lawyer, who clearly thought victory was already secured. My voice was steady, firm, leaving no room for doubt."The report is fake. I don't believe it.""Fake?" Rachel reacted as if she had just heard the biggest joke of her life. She handed copies of the report to Judge Alex Brooks and the jury. "Mrs. Cole, this report was issued by the m

Chapter 5

"What is going on?""How could Lucas look like this?""Th-this… this is a dog?!"A wave of shocked gasps rippled through the crowd as they stared blankly at the golden retriever being led inside.Lucas was a golden retriever.He had his tongue hanging out, his tail wagging happily from side to side, curiosity written all over his face as he looked around the courtroom, completely unaware that he was the center of this farce.I lifted him up and placed him on the defendant’s seat, then spoke with deliberate calm, "Everyone, take a good look. This is my son, a golden retriever who just turned two."Fiona and Daisy stared at the dog in my arms, their eyes stretched wide in disbelief.Fiona’s lips trembled. "N-no… that’s impossible. How could your son be a dog?!"I raised an eyebrow at her. "I only have one son listed on my household record. I said my son’s name was Lucas. I never said my son was human."Daisy’s face drained of color. She was on the verge of breaking down. "You s

Chapter 6

Fiona’s words made a number of people start wavering again."She has a point. What if that dog was just brought in at the last minute?""Exactly. Who knows if she deliberately found a dog to put on a show and get herself out of this?""It could just be a diversion!"Seeing doubt spread through the room, Fiona grew even more agitated, shouting even louder, "Look at her! She’s guilty, that’s why! Her son is definitely a person. That dog is just something she dragged in to help that animal escape punishment!"Daisy clung to it like a last lifeline. She suddenly sprang up from her chair and pointed at the golden retriever, screaming."That’s right! That can’t possibly be Lucas! Mrs. Cole, you’re too vicious. To protect the person who really assaulted me, you actually found a dog to impersonate him. You’re a woman too. How could you do this to me?!"Mrs. Cole, I’m begging you. Just let Lucas come out and admit it. He’s already eighteen. If he dared to do it, why doesn’t he dare to ow

Chapter 7

I reached into the small backpack Lucas always carried and took out his pet registration certificate.On it were his photo, his microchip number, and the name Lucas, printed clearly in black and white. The registration date was two years before we ever moved here.Then I took out my phone and opened my video app.Thousands of videos.Every single one was from my daily life with my son.From when he was just a month old and I carried him home for the first time.His first time learning how to shake hands.The first time he tore the house apart and I chased him all over the place.That was not all.I also submitted proof of household registration, which clearly stated that I was unmarried.With all of this evidence laid out in front of them, the lies of the mother and daughter collapsed on their own.The jury gallery erupted, their anger now completely redirected."This is blatant slander!""Using something like this to falsely accuse someone’s dog… Do you people have any sh

Chapter 8

At my words, Fiona and Daisy spun around abruptly.Fiona forced herself to stay calm, though her voice shook uncontrollably. "Y-you… what do you want? We already apologized, didn’t we?""An apology?" Holding my golden retriever in my arms, I stood up and walked toward them step by step, my voice cold. "If a light, throwaway apology could solve everything, then what would be the point of the law?"Daisy shrank behind Fiona, too frightened to even look at me directly.I let out a mocking laugh. "Now you’re scared? Too late."The moment I finished speaking, Daisy dropped to her knees in front of me. She wailed at the top of her lungs, "Mrs. Cole, I really mistook the person! For the sake of us being neighbors, can you forgive me just this once, please?"When she saw that I remained unmoved, she tried to play the sympathy card, leaning on her so-called experience of being assaulted."I’m just a girl. Going through something like this is already miserable enough. How can you still pu

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