I went to her.
“I’m here,” I said.
Raya grabbed my hand with her last strength.
“Promise me…” he whispered. “Promise that Mila… will study. That she will have a future. That they won’t buy her like a thing.”
My tears welled up, but I swallowed them.
“I promise,” I said. “She’ll study. She’ll have a future. And no one will buy her.”
Raya barely smiled.
– Then… I can go… calmer.
“Don’t talk like that,” Mila whispered.
Raya looked at her, and in her eyes there was a love that was stronger than the illness.
“Darling… life is hard,” he whispered. “But you… you are light.”
Mila burst into tears and leaned over her mother.
And I sat next to them and kept repeating to myself:
The truth has a price.
And I will pay it.
Until the end.
For the ending to be good.
So that a child who once stole candy can understand that the world is not only cruel.
Sometimes… it’s fair.
Chapter Sixteen
Judgment Day came like a storm.
The courtroom was full. People watching with curiosity. People whispering. People waiting to see if the poor man could stand up to the strong man.
Kalin was there, in a suit, with a smug smile. Next to him was a lawyer, sleek, with a look like glass.
Maria was calm. I sat next to her and tried to breathe.
“Don’t be afraid,” she whispered. “The truth has a place here, if you speak it clearly.”
The judge entered. Everyone stood up. The voices died down.
The process has begun.
Kalin spoke first. He told me how I had broken rules, how I had encouraged theft, how I had “undermined trust” in the store. He spoke smoothly, as if he were reading a prepared text.
When it was Maria’s turn, she stood up and said:
“My client did not encourage theft. He prevented a tragedy. And he was fired as a punishment for humanity.”
Kalin’s lawyer smiled.
“Humanity is not a legal term,” he said.
Maria smiled in response.
“But it’s abuse,” she said. “It’s blackmail. And it’s wrongful dismissal.”
Then he called the first witness.
Thomas.
Toma came in nervously, but when he looked at me, he nodded slightly. It was as if to say, “Now.”
Maria asked him:
– Thomas, do you know why Nikola was fired?
Thomas swallowed.
“Because you helped a girl,” he said. “You paid for the candy. You gave your own money.”
“Did Kalin say anything?” Maria asked.
Toma looked at Kalin. Kalin was staring at him like a knife.
Thomas took a breath and said:
– Kalin said that life crushes the weak. And that Nikola is weak.
A quiet murmur was heard in the hall.
Maria continued:
– Did Kalin threaten Nikola?
Thomas nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “He said that if Nikola complained, he would make him guilty of theft. And that there were cameras.”
Kalin’s lawyer jumped up:
– Objection!
The judge interrupted him:
– Let the witness speak.
Thomas continued. His voice grew louder.
– Kalin also… – he swallowed – also had a relationship with Vera. Nikola’s girlfriend. And he used that to humiliate him.
There was a noise in the hall. I clenched my jaw, but didn’t look at Kalin.
Kalin turned pale for a moment, then smiled, but his smile was strained.
Maria called the next witness.
Sylvia.
When she entered, the hall fell silent. People recognized the wife of Vladimir, the businessman whose name was prominent.
Sylvia sat calmly. Her gaze was firm.
Maria asked a question:
– Sylvia, do you know who is behind the pressure on Nikola?
Sylvia looked at the judge.
“Yes,” he said. “Vladimir.”
A commotion erupted in the courtroom. The judge slammed the gavel.
– Silence!
Kalin’s lawyer tensed up.
“This is slander!” he shouted.
Sylvia smiled sadly.
“It’s not,” he said. “That’s true.”
Maria took the documents out of the safe.
“Do you recognize these folders?” he asked.
