Chapter 63: Hearing
Fera POV
‘It's happening, I can’t believe it's happening.’ She thought while sitting on the left side. The hearing started swiftly while things couldn’t sink in her mind. Parricide was the only word that she understood. Disgusting.

At the other corner, she could see Nick with his grandfather. Lora was there and Benjamin was her defense lawyer.
Benjamin was interrogating her fake relative.
“You are the second degree of Mr. Fuentes, correct?” asked he.
“Correct.” Her gray and wrinkled skin spoke her age. She wasn’t too young to be playing around. He must do it most respectfully.
“You lived in Evendale all your life, correct?”
“Correct.”

“You are sixty-five years old, correct?”
“Correct.”
“Your daughter was in jail for stealing and you need money to bail her, correct?”
“The question was unreasonable, your honor.” The counterpart attorney instantly steps in.
“Well then, let’s change the question. Parents of your mother were Villacarta and Suico, correct?”
“Correct.”
“Parents of your father were Velasquez and Laurel, correct?”
“My grandmother Karina Velasquez was an illegitimate child of Fernando Fuent-”
“Miss Amanda, that is not my question. Parents of your father were Velasquez and Laurel, correct?”
“Uhm, correct.”
“Your grandmother Karina was born on 1921, correct?” There she couldn’t answer anymore. She tried opening her mouth but closed it again.
“I’m… I’m not sure.” She looked at her lawyer.
“Let me remind you, display defendant’s exhibit 156.” And a document of birth is displayed on the screen. A legal document of the birth of Karina Velasquez.
“Your grandmother Karina was born on 1921, correct?”
“That’s what it says, yes.” She answered while she kept glancing at someone from her right side.
“Display defendant’s exhibit 345.” And a document of the death of Fernando Fuentes appeared.
“Evidence that Fernando Fuentes Died in a plane crash at the age of nineteen on 1919. Display defendant’s exhibit 404 as evidence.” And another document appeared.
“Fidel Fuentes was born in 1916 and was three years old that year. Who was Mr. Ferdinand Fuentes's great grandfather.” It was too clear that Amanda Laurel was not a relative to them but it was not the case. Benjamin only wanted to eliminate her before jumping into serious trouble.
The jury cut the hearing there. Benjamin walked to Fera and wanted to talk to her. She was sent back to her cell and Benjamin was with her.
“Tomorrow will be your next hearing. I want you to tell me honestly, did you kill your father?”
“I didn’t.” She dropped that easily.
***

The hearing seemed endless, no one had enough evidence. Until a prosecutor came into the courtroom. A new face, from her past hearing she had never seen him. She saw him shake Benjamin’s hand.
“Your father was a well-known Lawyer, correct?” She didn’t notice time and found herself in front of them with a mic.
“Correct.”
“CEO of Fuentes Corporation, correct?”
“Correct,” she was staring at the new man of what he was up to.
“Number one drug dealer in the country, correct?” She almost dropped her jaw when that suddenly came into her ears.
“Sorry?” Truly she didn’t know how to answer.
“He was the number one drug dealer in the country, correct?”
“Incorrect.” Her calm composure suddenly dropped and replace with a fierce expression.
“Display exhibit 267.” He was looking intently at her but she wasn’t bothered anymore.
“Evidence that he was been smuggling illegal drugs locally and internationally.”
“You are talking about the victim here, sir,” Fera spoke with her fierce tone.
“You and your father never really get along, correct?” He continued asking which irritates her.
“Correct.”
“He never let you enjoy and caged you at home, correct?”
“Correct.”
“He trained you and gave heavy responsibility at twelve, correct?”
“Correct, again.”
“You never reached his standard and you are tired of doing all of it, you hate him enough to kill him, correct?”
“Okay, this had gotten way too long. I did kill him.” She instantly claimed but Benjamin stood.
“Objection your honor.” Nick stood up and went out of the courtroom while Lora was trying to compose herself.
“There’s nothing to argue anymore, she has spoken.”
“My client was forced to claim it!” Benjamin shout while Fera was trying to suppress her tears.
“She had been claiming it in the first place, the evidence and the whistleblower were enough.” The other attorney spoke, the majority of the crowd wanted to bring her down but Benjamin wasn’t ready to lose.
“She was mentally unstable!” Benjamin was out of control too.
“ORDER IN THE COURT!” The jury strike silenced them. “Present your evidence.”
Benjamin walked to Fera and took out his last card. He hasn’t presented it to anyone but he had it with him the whole time. He revealed her diary.
“Please, Fera save yourself.” He whispered.
“This is her diary since she was a kid.” He even raised it to the jury.
“This is the evidence that she isn’t mentally stable. June 20, 2022, months ago, the exact date he died. She wrote this. ‘All the pain and fury, replaced with lonely, as you pointed it to me, I still love you wholly, but then you pulled the trigger, and it didn’t hit me, everything fell as you did, and water of pain flowed endlessly, but nothing was more endless than this misery.” He turned to Fera and saw her harshly breathing.
“Objection Hearsay, the statement was not legible enough to be evidence.” A man said but the jury let Ben finish.
“Based on psychology research every craft reflects the personal situation. Here is her poem it was obvious that someone was pointing something at her but it didn’t hit her. What is to be pointed out that could hit you? Probably a gun, she stated that someone fell and water of pain was endlessly flowing.” Ben was said while looking straight at Fera which she bravely reciprocate.
“Are you saying that this is a suicide case?” Someone asked and but he didn’t take his gaze from her.
“Of course, tell them, Fera. Tell them, what you have told me.” Her eyes widen when he flipped the pages at the back part of the notebook. And he showed to poem to her.
“No, I did kill him, Ben. Stop this. He's ruthless and I hate him. It was nine in the evening-” he slam the table in front of her and tears fell as she flinch.
“Why do you want to narrate it all of the sudden, what are you hiding?”
“I am telling you the truth! I killed him!”
“Play the exhibit 444 to 470.” He said and a video played, it was her and Nick outside of a chapel. She said she misses them a lot and cried that she couldn’t visit their grave.
“Missing a death anniversary would cry like that, is that how you show your hatred, hatred to the point of killing him?” He saw his hands start trembling.
“He was on drugs, he was crazy and about to kill me so I killed him to defend me. That’s the truth.” Everyone gasped including Lora who was crying silently.
“Then why are you afraid that I might read this one poem at the hidden part?” He asked but Fera jumped to him and snatched the notebook. She scratched that part and aggressively tore it into pieces. The police went to her and restrain her while Ben took his phone out and show them the picture of the poem.
“May I read the poem, your honor.” The jury was curious too, so he let him read it.
“Drown by the sound of fury,
A night when hears nobody,
Deep wounds, deep cuts,
Kurtains closed securely,
It’ll be okay, it’ll be okay,
The long night is over,
The lonely night seemed forever,
Muddy hands, muddy pen,
Ordered to be sealed in porcelain,
Maybe I’m right or I’m wrong.
This seemed too dark, display exhibit number 568. Noticed the spelling of the Kurtain when it’s supposed to be the letter C. If we took all the first letters of the line, what will we get? Dad Kill Mom.”
“No! It wasn’t him! I didn’t write that poem. That case was long closed, do not drag anyone here, Benjamin!” She had lost her cool, she wasn’t calm anymore and her desperate claim came visible that she was covering something. Police were holding her still as Ben swiped his phone to read the next poem.