30 Days Till I Divorce My Husband

Chapter 264

Autumn reluctantly agreed to Jason’s proposal for a Saturday get-together with a forced smile, despite her reluctance. “Sure, Saturday it is.”

And just like that, plans were made.

No sooner had Jason left than Estrella noted Autumn’s discontent. “I’ve told you before not to make promises you can’t keep. Now you’ve gotten yourself into a pickle.”

Over the past few weeks, each time Jason dropped them off, Estrella never invited him inside, despite his inquiries about when he might come in for a visit. Estrella always deftly changed the subject. It wasn’t the right time.

But this time, Autumn had done the inviting herself, and Estrella felt it wasn’t her place to comment. She didn’t make the invitation anyway.

Hearing Estrella’s words, Autumn sulked, “How was I to know Jason would be so presumptuous?”

Estrella replied matter-of-factly, “He’s never been one for pleasantries.” With that, Estrella retreated to her bedroom.

Not long ago, her father had suggested that Isaac should start sleeping in his own room to foster independence and give Estrella a break. Estrella couldn’t bear the separation, so mother and son continued to share a room. Upon entering, Estrella found the nanny had already bathed Isaac and tucked him into bed.

The nanny whispered with a smile, “Miss, little saac is such an angel. Slept through his bath just like you used to.”

“Thanks, Judy,” Estrella said, approaching the crib and gently stroking Isaac’s peaceful face.

After a brief chat with Judy, Estrella took her own shower and finished up some work before finally settling into the large bed next to Isaac’s.

Come Friday, the day of the third hearing for the Glimmering Lake case, Estrella woke up early, had breakfast with Isaac, and then drove to the courthouse. Upon her arrival, Jason was already there.

The roadblock incident involving Estrella and Keegan, along with the alarming number of Glimmering Lake villagers falling ill, had captured public interest, drawing a sizable crowd of onlookers to the courtroom.

As Estrella stepped out of her car, Jason approached her, tucking away a stray lock of her hair and straightening her coat’s collar. “Just do your best and don’t stress,” he encouraged.

Estrella appreciated his acknowledgment of her hard work. After a brief exchange with Jason, Estrella entered the courthouse.

them, Estrella’s mind shifted completely

the judge and ChemiSphere’s attorneys taking their places. The villagers seethed

after the company’s attempts to pacify them with

inquiring about new evidence. Estrella stood up from her position representing the plaintiffs, “Your Honor, in addition to more medical reports of poisoning among the villagers, we’ve

an employee’s testimony, cursing the failed attempt to silence the

brows, the judge prompted Estrella to present the new evidence, leaving the

out her case, “The new evidence reveals that although ChemiSphere purchased wastewater treatment equipment, it was merely outdated

has not used or operated the

true that the equipment was acquired from another company, it’s

our conglomerate, is nearly new and fully meets national emission standards. It has been operational

by current standards. As for your claim of its near-new condition,

your assumptions

on the history of the equipment. Surely, counsel, you’re well aware of the operational

rifled through her briefcase and pulled out a set of graphs and charts, which illustrated the power consumption history of ChemiSphere. With the confidence of a seasoned attorney, she addressed the presiding judge, “Your Honor, according to our extensive research, it’s evident that ChemiSphere’s power usage doesn’t

well as the processor itself. If there’s any doubt about this

antiquated behemoth that was not only costly to run but also incredibly complex. Because of this, ChemiSphere never once put it

filled their wastewater discharge channels with concrete grout, hastily constructing an alternate channel. This new channel supposedly leads from the treatment plant, but whether the water

confirms it’s fresh grout, poured in the last two months. Excluding the sealed segment, the pollution levels in the accessible parts of the channel are consistent with one another. “We can now state with certainty

Honor, these are photographs documenting ChemiSphere’s workers filling in the discharge channel overnight. There are even villagers who’ve been hospitalized due to severe poisoning. We implore the court to

A villager stood up, his voice breaking through the courtroom’s tense silence, “I was one of the workers ChemiSphere hired to plug the old channel and dig the new one. I can attest that everything being said here is the

that the machines

had even taken the initiative to ensure the villagers had access to clean water and food. Her dedication and compassion had won

of order, “Please, everyone remain calm. We will call upon witnesses as necessary.” With the judge’s words,

and the jury conferred briefly before delivering the verdict, “Pursuant to Article 338 of our Penal Code, ChemiSphere is found guilty of environmental contamination. Given the severity of the offense, including the loss of fertile land and the pollution of a vital waterway, we hereby sentence the legal representative of ChemiSphere, Jace, to 10 years of imprisonment. Additionally, Jace is

to be the best? How could you let us lose to

filled the gallery, voiced their indignation, “Your family’s lives matter, but what about ours? Don’t we count

register their anger, clung to his lawyer, “Do something!