Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 620

I could hardly remember what the judge was asking me, my mind was practically somewhere else, lost in a fog.

After my lawyer answered a couple of questions on my behalf, he requested a recess. I was sitting in the lounge, trying to gather my thoughts, and it hit me - I hadn’t even told my folks I was here, duking it out in court with Karina. My mom’s been swamped at work, and dad’s just getting back on his feet health-wise; didn’t want to add any more stress to his plate.

So here I was, just me and my lawyer, who knew the ins and outs of the case but was clueless about the deep-seated grudge between Karina and me.

“Ms. Finch, think hard. Is there anything you can say to discredit the plaintiff’s claims?” my lawyer prodded.

Yes, there was.

I could blow the roof off the whole charade by revealing that Hiram wasn’t Neil’s biological son, much less Karina’s. She’s known this all along but played ignorant. That would shatter her accusation of me poisoning Hiram out of jealousy.

After all, both my kids are Neil’s. Why would I be jealous of a child who shares no blood with him?

But spilling those beans now would backfire. Neil’s upcoming custody battle for Hiram, hinging on their supposed father-son relationship, would crumble if I laid out the truth. So, not only did I have to keep mum, but I was also dreading Karina might spill the beans herself, severely denting our chances at custody.

Right on cue, the lounge door swings open, and in struts Karina, blatantly ignoring my lawyer, a smirk plastered on her face. “Ms. Finch, bet you didn’t see this coming, huh?”

“Karina, what’s in it for you? Weren’t you adamant that Hiram is Neil’s kid? Aren’t you scared that the Whitmores might come after you, jeopardizing your and Hiram’s standing?” I retorted, trying to maintain my composure.

Karina’s laugh was filled with disdain, almost twisted. “So what if Neil isn’t Hiram’s father? Or if I’m not his mother? Neil wants custody? Well, go ahead, spill the beans. I’m done. Even if we can’t be part of the Whitmore clan, I won't let you and Neil have Hiram.”

She was ready to burn bridges, indifferent to losing her spot in the Whitmore lineage, as long as she could make us miserable.

Karina’s bombshell meant we were on the brink of a custody war with the Whitmores, a mess I wasn’t looking forward to.

I could almost predict the grim outcome of Neil and Karina’s legal tussle. If Karina decided to come clean about Hiram’s paternity, cutting ties with the Whitmores, we’d be at a dead end.

“Got any proof my kids are Whitmores?” I challenged.

“Oh, the DNA test? You must’ve forgotten, but I haven’t. And if you doubt it, feel free to retest. Just don’t expect Russell to rig it this time,” Karina sneered, eyeing the door, probably hinting Russell was outside.

"Hiram, all you need to do is tell everyone what Ms. Finch did for you while she was taking care of you. What did she give you to eat? What shape was it? What did it taste like?" Karina spoke with a patience that belied the underlying threat in her voice, a tone she always used when she wanted to silently intimidate Hiram.

It seemed Hiram was most afraid of this version of Karina, already conditioned to succumb to the fear and tension she evoked in him.

But Karina's words were too suggestive, too leading, and the judge promptly put a stop to her line of questioning.

Then, the judge took over, asking Hiram questions that were similar to what Karina had asked but without any hint of bias, just objectively stating the facts.

Hiram stood across from me, staring blankly, his eyes rimming with tears, a look of helplessness washing over him.

He clearly didn't want to cooperate with Karina in slandering me, but what could he do as a child, especially one who was raised to be used as a tool?

"Ms. Finch, she... she took care of me for a while," Hiram finally spoke, his voice soft but amplified by the microphone so that everyone could hear him clearly.

"She was nice to me, told me stories, coaxed me into taking my medicine, getting my shots. She gave me these little round things to eat. At first, I didn't know what they were, so I just ate them..." Hiram's voice trailed off as he turned his head towards Karina, his expression uneasy. Yet, Karina only responded with a stern glare.