Note: Sorry for not updating for so long. I have an exam in school for almost a month. As for this chapter, I have no idea whatsoever about what happens in a courtroom so, I apologize if it doesn't make any sense at all. All I can say is that I'll do my best to make it as logical as possible.

Thomas Novacek was seated at the defense table. He was wearing a black suit, a white shirt and a dark blue tie. The only thing moving were his eyes while the rest…motionless. He rested his eyes at every object he saw. The chairs, the table, the documents. He didn't even dare to look at human faces.

Especially the one who sat on the prosecutor table. His own daughter, Lyla.

Not that he can blame her. It was his fault all along.

And he knew that.

Oh, he knew that.

He had agreed to surrender himself to the authorities. He had agreed to reveal the outraging truth to the world. All of that in exchange for not going to prison. He heard his name being called by Lyla's attorney, Mathew O'Dell.

O'Dell said, "I would like to call the defendant, Thomas Novacek to the stand."

Thomas rose nervously and headed to the stand without looking at everyone's face and he forced himself to calm down.

"Mr. Novacek, can you tell me what exactly happened on the night of December 17th 1995? I'm sure you still remember."

"That night, my daughter was accidentally hit by a car when she ran out from the restaurant," he said in a shaky voice. "And I…"

"You…?" O'Dell asked.

"I signed documents that release…my newborn grandson for adoption."

There was a murmur from the crowds. The attorney continued, "Did Ms. Novacek had any knowledge of you signing these documents?"

The answer was simple. "No. She doesn't."

"And what exactly did you tell her about her son?"

"I told her that he didn't make it. I told her he's dead…he's gone."

Lyla closed her eyes, patiently lowering her inner turmoil after hearing those words. A series of flashback crossed her mind. "I'm sorry…he's gone…I didn't mean it…he's gone… Lyla, the baby could've hurt you…I wasn't gonna let…what do you mean, gone? I made a choice for us…where is he? He's gone…he's gone…he's gone…

Louis held his son's hand tightly, not letting go. August shouldn't be hearing all this. He's just a kid. They were sitting at the prosecutor's side. Louis still didn't like the idea of bringing August to court but he had to be there for he had to give a statement.

Evan Taylor's face was calm. He didn't even let out a single drop of tears, yet. He was wearing a pale yellow shirt and matched it with black trousers. His heart was beating so fast, but he remained calm.

After he was discharged from the hospital, there was another drama occurred to his life. Mr. Jefferies said that he had to come back to the orphanage until his custody case was solved. The news had brought him to tears but his loving parents promised to come and visit him everyday and they did.

Mr. Jefferies also promised that after the case was over, he can be with his parents forever. That had brightened up his day. And today was the day he'd hope his dreams would finally come true.

If, we won the case.

But everyone he knew had told him the same thing: "We'll win."

What if we don't? We have to. We just have to. Evan closed his eyes and silently prayed.

Mathew O'Dell waited until the crowd stopped mumbling. "And when did you tell her the truth?"

"A year ago in May."

O'Dell nodded his head. "So, you kept the truth to yourself for eleven years?"

"Yes and…I regretted it."

"Did you ever tell anyone besides Ms. Novacek?"

"No."

"What made you to suddenly tell her the truth after eleven years?"

"I had a heart attack and…it's like a wake up call."

"Did you ever think about what happens to your grandson?"

Thomas' attorney, Nathan Blake was on his feet. "Objection, Your Honor. The question is irrelevant."

The judge said, "Objection sustained."

"Forgive me, Your Honor." Mathew O'Dell looked around the jurors and silently smiled. He got what he wanted. The jurors showed no sympathy towards the defendant. "No more questions," he said. He returned to his seat and he thought that there should be no problem.

He thought wrong.

The situation got a bit difficult when his client, Lyla Novacek was on the stand.

"Miss Novacek?" her father's attorney began. "How old are you?"

"Thirty," she answer wearily. What's my age has to do with anything?

Nathan Blake gave a slightly shocking expression. "Thirty? That means you were eighteen when you become a mother, am I right?"

"Yes."

"Don't you think you were a little too young for that kind of responsibility?"

Mathew O'Dell immediately rose to his feet. "Objection, Your Honor."

"Sustained. Proceed with your next question," the judge said.

She closed her eyes for a second. Okay Lyla, just calm down. He's gonna ask a lot of incredibly stupid, ridiculous, and painfully crazy questions, so you have to be calm. It will all be over soon. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the next question.

"Forgive me, Your Honor." He turned his attention back to Lyla. "Miss Novacek, I learned that Mr. Connelly was not with you at the time of your pregnancy, is it true?"

Lyla stole a glance at Louis' sad eyes and the look itself cut her sole into tiny million pieces. "Yes," she said to the attorney.

"It must be so hard for you," Blake said. His tone is more of a mock than sympathy. "Pregnant and alone at a very young age. Have you ever thought of abortion?"

That's it! "What?" she asked furiously. She lost her patience now. How can she calm down? Someone better don't tell her to calm down because she can't! How can she? At this point in her life, she didn't know how to calm down anymore.

"Objection!"

"Sustained. I must warn you Mr. Blake," the judge said.

"Sorry, Your Honor." Blake turned his gaze towards the jurors. "As you can see ladies and gentlemen, my client was only doing his job as a father. Miss Novacek was very young at the time, and my client took this matter at his own hand. I am not implying what he did was a right thing to do because it's not. What I'm implying is that my client over there," he pointed to Thomas. "Was only following his fatherly intuition."

There were murmurs all around the courtroom.

He continued, "What would you have done if you were in my client's place? You probably won't forge your daughter's signature, yes. But you probably would've thought about it. You probably would've taken this matter to your own hands."

More murmurs.

Mathew O'Dell looked around the courtroom thinking, "This is not good. Oh, no. This is bad. This is bad. He had to do something. He can't let the jurors filled their hearts with sympathy towards Thomas Novacek. They just can't!

Evan looked at his father, eyes pleading that this case was not over yet. Only he didn't get the answer that he wanted. What he got was a tighter embrace by his father. Please don't let this happen. He closed his eyes, his mind and heart combined together trying to figure things out. Suddenly, he felt as if he was full of life. He felt energetic and determine. If he can survive alone in New York, he would not give up and surrender himself to cruel fate. He'd work so hard and had been through a lot of things to achieve his lifelong dream.

There was one thing he knew now; he will not let anything to bring him and his parents down.

Not even the law. Because the law humans created cannot and will never stopped him from loving his parents. Nothing can stop him from loving his parents and the music that brought them together.

Nothing.