He Killed My Grandmother for His First Love

Chapter 11

After leaving the hospital, I went straight to the police station to file a report. Just to be sure, I also stopped by the courthouse. They said the trial would begin in three days. I found a rental apartment, and at a jewelry store, I had my grandmother's ashes turned into a ring. I also ordered a small umbrella to go with it. No matter if it was windy, rainy, or blazing hot, I wanted to make sure the ring had shade.

But what I didn't expect was for Phillip to show up at my rental apartment.

The next day, I opened the door to find him standing there, holding a bouquet of baby's breath. It used to be my favorite flower, the one Phillip had given me when he confessed and proposed. But now? I hated it.

I snatched the flowers from his hands and tossed them into the nearest trash bin. Phillip opened his mouth but said nothing. His eyes were red, and he stared at the ring on my right hand, on my index finger.

"Charlee… are you getting married?"

His voice cracked. "You don't want me anymore?"

"Please, can you just talk to me? Charlee, please."

I looked down at the man kneeling in front of me, my expression cold and distant. I opened the door wider, stepping aside as I spoke.

"There's only one place where we can talk."

His eyes were full of hope. I spoke slowly, deliberately.

"Tomorrow morning at nine. I'll see you in court."

That night, Phillip knelt outside my door, the entire night. The next morning, I went to court as the plaintiff, suing Elaina. She'd hired the best lawyer in New York, a man who had never lost a case in his career. To be honest, I was nervous at first. This lawyer had once been my mentor. But as the case went on, I found myself more and more determined.

The judge started asking for evidence, and I presented everything I had: the proof of my grandmother's death, the video of Elaina hiring goons to kidnap me, and the video of the dogs attacking my grandmother.

"The deceased, Mylee Cantrell, suffered thirty-four bite wounds and twenty-six abrasions. The longest wound was 4 inches, and the fatal injury was a 2-inch deep tear to the carotid artery."

But Elaina kept denying it.

"What? You're trying to fool the judge? Charlee, do you really think the judge is an idiot?"

"You're claiming the person in the video is me? Do you even have any witnesses?"

She was so confident, so smug. I had seen this play out before, when the defendant denies being at the scene and makes up an alibi, the suspicion often fades away. Plus, the surveillance footage only showed a shadow, no clear face. I could feel the ground slipping from under me.

Just as the judge was about to slam the gavel down, a voice from the audience rang out.

"Who says there are no witnesses? I'm a witness!"

"Judge, I can prove Elaina set the dogs on my wife's grandmother. I'm one of the involved parties."

In the end, Elaina was sentenced to life imprisonment for intentional murder. She went wild right there in the courtroom, crying and screaming at Phillip, asking why he had betrayed her. But Phillip didn't flinch. He ignored her outbursts and walked straight toward me, his face full of hope.

"Charlee, I exposed her crime. Can you talk to me now?"

"I found out about the ring. It's your grandmother's ashes. Charlee, when I realized you hadn't remarried, I... I can't tell you how happy I was."

"Charlee, please forgive me. Can we start over again?"