"Didn't Zahn tell you there was almost no chance of you waking up? That it was practically a miracle you survived? Her current condition wasn't caused by you. What exactly are you feeling sorry for? Don't forget that the two of you caused another person to die in that car crash."
Shin's eyes narrowed.
"You want to forgive her, but did you ever ask the dead man for his opinion?"
Allen was taken aback, looking uncomfortable.
"You were the one driving that night. If the two of you hadn't started fighting in the car, you wouldn't have caused an accident. Did you communicate with the victim's family? Did they agree to a settlement?" Shin continued. "Or is this something you couldn't be bothered with because they're just strangers and ordinary people to you?"
Allen grew slightly upset.
"Shin, when did you become a spokesperson for everyone else? Is this because of what's going on between you, Yeri, and Calin?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Allen realized he shouldn't have said that.
He swallowed. "I didn't mean anything by it."
Shin looked at him intently, making Allen increasingly uneasy.
"What about you?" Shin asked. "Your reason for withdrawing the case. Is it because you pity that woman, or do you still have feelings for her?"
Allen immediately denied it, looking frustrated.
Shin scoffed. "No wonder you ended up dating her. One is a fool, and the other is a vile schemer."
Allen: "..."
Was he the fool?
Zahn, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, stayed quiet until Shin was about to leave.
"Do you still want Yeri's medical records?"
"Some other time." Shin stepped into the elevator.
The doors closed, leaving Allen and Zahn behind.
"He really doesn't hold back when roasting people, even if they're his friends," Allen muttered, and turned toward Zahn. "Was I wrong about my decision?"
"You've seen the dashcam footage and Hexion's investigation?" Zahn asked.
At that, Allen averted his gaze.
He had seen the records. He had also seen Hexion's conclusion that Calin had intended to kill him while he was still in a coma.
There was one crucial statement, this time from Marianne Vega, who had only recently agreed to come forward.
"Marianne Vega..." Allen chuckled awkwardly. "Isn't she Sergei's ex? Couldn't she have said all that out of resentment? Maybe she's just a vindictive ex."
Zahn looked at him the same way Shin had earlier.
"You," Zahn said calmly, "why are you in such denial?"
Allen's expression stiffened.
"Is this really just out of consideration for Calin's current condition, or do you still have lingering feelings for her?"
"Zahn, not you as well." Allen sighed. "Of course I don't have any feelings for her. I just thought that, for the sake of our past, this could be the last time I forgive her."
Zahn merely shrugged. "Your decision, but in case you've forgotten, you're already engaged. If you can't commit to that relationship, then don't get married."
Allen's expression fell.
---
When Calin woke up again, she stared at the ceiling for a long time.
Her mind felt like a blank slate, just as white and empty as the ceiling above her.
She remembered everything she had done over the past few weeks, including the moment she had attempted to kill Yeri.
But after dragging Yeri onto the balcony, all she could remember was the intense blizzard.
What happened afterward?
However, she didn't have much time to dwell on it.
That entire week, her days were filled with nothing but court hearings.
"My dear daughter, I'm so happy you finally snapped out of it!" Madam Ricci was sobbing beside her.
Calin immediately became irritated.
"Will you stop? Anyone would think someone died with the way you're acting. Just tell me the progress."
Madam Ricci wiped her tears before explaining.
"The bullying charges and the other minor accusations have already been dealt with by the lawyers. The main things we still have to worry about are Allen, the deaths of the maid and her daughter, and of course, Shin Keir and Lucia Hera, since they both refused to settle."
Calin frowned.
"Well, there's also the growing expenses. How are you planning to settle the debt from your engagement banquet?"
The moment she heard that, Calin immediately flared up.
"How is that my business? Tell them to go ask that bastard Bryce Gate for the money!"
"You co-signed the agreements, and most of the documents were signed by you," Madam Ricci said, almost in a whisper.
"That's only because I was doing my duty as his fiancée!" Calin shrieked. "I've been scammed! I'm a victim too! How was I supposed to know his money wasn't clean?"
Madam Ricci didn't argue, there was no point.
The matter couldn't simply be dismissed with words when there were legal documents binding her daughter to those obligations.
"What about Brother?" Calin asked. "What did he say? What is he doing to help me?"
Madam Ricci's expression turned sour.
That son of hers seemed to have gone mad as well, completely consumed by his obsession with that doctor, Marianne.
-
Back at the courthouse, Calin's legal team managed to keep her out of prison for the bullying charges through a combination of compensation, formal apologies, and public admissions of wrongdoing.
Although Calin was no longer visibly unstable, her lawyer advised her to continue presenting herself that way whenever possible. It could still be used as part of her defense.
Even if the court ultimately considered imprisonment, they could argue that she was psychologically unfit to serve a sentence and required treatment instead.
Allen decided not to withdraw his case.
Calin's legal team responded by arguing that she had been heavily intoxicated on the night of the incident, claiming that her judgment had been severely impaired.
They further attempted to shift responsibility onto Allen, arguing that as the person driving the vehicle, he should have prevented the confrontation from escalating and was therefore partially liable for the resulting accident.
As for the deleted dashcam footage and what Marianne had overheard, the defense offered another explanation.
They claimed Calin had Sergei delete the footage because she was terrified after waking up and was under immense psychological pressure.
As for Marianne's testimony, they portrayed Sergei as the only person who had remained rational that night, arguing that he should never have gone along with whatever his sister had asked him to do.
The grueling back-and-forth eventually reduced Marianne to tears on the witness stand.
Calin's side painted her as a manipulative woman who had been obsessed with Sergei.
They argued that Marianne had deliberately used what she overheard to get closer to him, hoping to pursue a relationship. Then, when things failed to develop according to her expectations, she had supposedly turned against Sergei and chosen Calin as an easy target for revenge.
Despite all his heartfelt declarations of love and his seemingly desperate attempts to win Marianne back, Sergei himself had never attended a single hearing.
In fact, Marianne had consulted a lawyer regarding her fall down the stairwell.
But with Hadi dead and Venice still in a coma, there simply wasn't enough evidence to build a strong case against Calin so she decided not to pursue it.
Then came the most shocking turn of events.
The case involving the mother and daughter.
Many had anticipated it to be the case that would finally deliver the decisive blow against Calin and put her behind bars. The evidence and circumstances surrounding it were particularly damning.
Yet, shortly before the proceedings could move forward, the victims' family suddenly changed their position.
They chose to forgive Calin, saying "The dead cannot return anyway,"
One could only imagine what had happened behind closed doors.
Whatever agreement had been reached, the substantial amount involved was enough to make even those seeking justice reconsider their position.
At this point, it was almost as though Calin had been sitting for an endless examination, answering question after question and somehow managing to passed on every one.
For Allen's case, the court ultimately found Calin liable for reckless driving and intoxication-related manslaughter. However, since she hadn't been the one driving the vehicle, the court assigned her a lesser sentence of two years along with substantial fines and other penalties.
Even so, given her current psychological condition, the final enforcement of the sentence remained pending.
Lucia's case had been a much greater hurdle.
With Lucia backed by a legal team hired by Shin and supported by substantial evidence, Calin was found guilty of abduction, criminal threats, and blackmail, adding another two years to her sentence.
-
Two months passed.
This time, the proceedings moved on to the lawsuits filed by Shin Keir and Yeri Zhi.
Invasion of privacy, data protection violations, defamation, copyright infringement, harassment, attempted murder, and other charges had been brought against her.
Taken together, Calin could potentially be facing a life sentence.
The courthouse was already packed, while outside, reporters and members of the public crowded around desperately trying to get the latest updates.
"Four years! Four years, are you fucking kidding me?" Calin gritted her teeth. "Didn't you assure me that if I pretended to be unstable, you could help me avoid jail time?"
Her lawyer looked exhausted.
For the past weeks, Calin had become like a broken record, constantly complaining about the verdict and finding someone else to blame for everything that had happened.
"I already told you that being psychologically unstable doesn't automatically prevent the court from sentencing you. If anything, you're already lucky to have received only four years so far."
He rubbed his temples.
"As I said, we can later petition for you to serve your sentence in a psychiatric facility rather than a correctional institution, depending on the court's assessment. But for now, we have to deal with the cases brought by Shin Keir."
"A psychiatric hospital?" Calin shrieked. "Are you trying to kill me? I'll really go insane in a place like that! Aren't you supposed to be the best lawyer?"
Madam Ricci, who had been anxiously pacing back and forth, finally snapped.
"Enough! What exactly are you complaining about? You wouldn't even be in this situation if you had learned to control your temper and lived normally like the other socialites!"
Her voice trembled.
"It's not just bullying anymore. We're talking about murder, abduction, blackmail..."
She stopped.
For a long time, Madam Ricci had refused to take the accusations seriously. She had instinctively sided with her daughter, convinced that the Keirs and everyone else were exaggerating or fabricating allegations against Calin.
But after sitting through hearing after hearing, she could no longer deceive herself.