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When I walked through the doors, Marie was there standing with her arms calmly folded across her chest. She released them and came over, her arms open wide. I embraced her, sharing a light kiss.
“I thought you weren’t coming,” I said, smiling.
“I like to keep you on your toes. Come on, the trial is starting soon.” I nodded, following her into the courtroom. She and Blake took their seat in the gallery, and I joined Walter in his seat as the plaintiff. On the other side were the lawyers for the defendants, Dell’ Arte and Camp Wears. I looked behind me when I heard the doors of the courtroom open. The COOs entered, taking their seats. Laura came in as well, avoiding my gaze and sitting far away from others.Your luck has run out, Laura.
The judge pronounced that the trial had started. The lawyers made their opening arguments. It came down to presenting the facts. As expected, the opposition claimed the designs were theirs and the brainchild of their designers. After their arguments were made, Walter called in an expert to comment. This went in my favor; he found the defendant’s designs to be poor copies.
I testified next, bringing the court's attention to Laura. When she was called to the stand, she looked sick and ghostly. Walter grilled her; she couldn’t get her story straight, and her inadvertent blunders implicated the defendants. Walter turned in the evidence to the court. The judge’s face was unreadable. He called for a recess.
Ten minutes later, the court was back in session. The judge had reviewed the evidence and had the jury go over it. He gave Walter the green light to proceed to the closing argument. The jury found the defendant liable for intellectual theft. The judge in turn passed the judgment. He fined the companies heavily and ordered the money in Laura’s account to be withdrawn. My company was to be compensated for the damage. The kicker was when the judge fined Laura half a million dollars or risk spending time in prison. With satisfaction, I watched her taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs.
It felt great to have Laura and these issues out of the way. I walked out of the courthouse with Marie. She handled the media with ease and followed me to the car.
“So, we have something to celebrate today, Karl,” she said, rubbing my thigh absentmindedly.
“What’s wrong? You know I’m here to help?”
“No, no. I can’t get in the way of your victory. I can handle it,” she insisted.
“Marie, there’s no victory without you happy and by my side. Let me share your worries as you’ve shared mine.”
Sighing, she dabbed her eyes, “The anonymous person sent me a letter today. It saidyou’ll be going down soon. Expect me soon.I think they’re gearing up for something worse. What if they reveal what I did, abandoning my child?” Her eyes were wide with fear. I touched her skin; it was hot.
“Look at me! They’re hiding because they’re cowards. Whatever they think they have on you has no power over you if you don’t let it. I am here for you—to support and protect you. Don’t ever forget that.” My heart was beating fast. I felt like I wasn’t enough. My words alone wouldn’t stop the attacks on her.
Marie looked a bit relieved.
“Follow me home and meet my son. He has heard so much about you and would love to meet you. I know he cannot replace your lost son, but I hope his presence may heal you and you’ll both like each other.”
“Really? I’m starting to feel less nervous. Thanks, Karl. I feel like I’m not saying this enough. I’d love to meet your son.” She wiped her eyes and laughed. “Let’s go.”
When we arrived at my place, I led her to the door. Oddly, I felt giddy. She was about to see a part of me few ever saw and got to know. I gazed at her long enough to see her cheeks redden. Chuckling to myself, I opened the door.
“Come in, dear.” I took her hand and led her in.
I heard Jason’s soft giggles before I saw him. I was about to call him when Marie’s phone rang. She looked shocked but calmed down after seeing the caller.
“I’m sorry. One moment.” I nodded, and she moved away to receive the call.
“Jason! Daddy’s home!” I called out. A moment later, he ran out of the kitchen with a smile. I went on my knees and welcomed him into my arms. “Hey there. I brought home someone you’d be excited to see. Look….”
“Who?” he asked, mouth agape. Marie looked over then. She waved at us, but her face looked sad. “She’s beautiful, Dad. Really.” I smiled, looking at his cute face. It suddenly occurred to me how similar some of his facial features were to Marie’s. The shape of his eyes, the same hair color, and the little curve of his lip resembled Marie’s smile.Strange.
“I... I think you're my son.”What?My head snapped up. Marie was clutching her phone to her chest and pointing a shaky hand at Jason. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. “Oh my, I’m so sorry.” She turned, about to run.
“No. Marie!” I dashed after her before she reached the door, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug. “Why are you running? What’s this you’re talking about?”
“Please, let me go. I feel so ashamed. He’s my son. I had a son with you. All this time, I never knew.” She broke down crying.
Chapter 23
MARIE
Icouldn’tstopmyself.My tears kept falling and my chest felt too tight to breathe. “My son…my son… Ja…” I wanted to say his name, but I was ashamed. What right did I have to claim him? Karl held me tight; I could not leave his arms. I wanted to run, but wasn’t that what I did five years ago? I ran and abandoned Jason.
“Please, stay. Whatever it is, we can work through it together. I promise.”What did I ever do to deserve you, Karl? Really, how did I forget ever being involved with you?
Jason came to stand in front of us, his eyes looking back and forth between Karl and me. I held his gaze, seeing something of myself in him.How did I miss this for so long?I went to my knees, dragging Karl with me. He kept me steady. Trembling, I stretched out my hands to Jason, “Hello, I’m Marie, your mother.” He looked confused and regarded Karl. My heart twisted in my chest. Karl still looked unsure, but he nodded. Slowly, Jason walked to me. I touched his face, smiling through my tears. “May I hug you?” He nodded, a smile forming on his lips.
