My Heart Was Wounded Deep
Chapter 85's

"We should use a lawyer" Rey said. "I wish we had a lawyer in today's meeting, but I'm too worried about how you're going to be treated and the fact that I don't have hard evidence. Until it doesn't cross my mind." Rey shakes. "Even if we record a conversation on my phone once it gets in there, we'll at least have evidence of what it's been confessed to."

"We have witnesses. Your parents won't lie, will they?" kikan.

"No, but I'm sure Lori's family will choose to shut up. They're so sure you're guilty, so it's a shame that everyone knows how wrong they are. Fortunately, even though my mother loved her best friend very much, she loved me more. We can count on him to tell the truth."

"Then that's enough for me" Kikan said. "We should not waste time fighting anymore. I've heard of ex-convicts suing for damages. But it's not easy to do, although we can make Via repeat what he said today, they will deny that memories can be wrong. That he was forced or something. There must be a lot of things we have to do. In fact, maybe we'll spend more money on that effort than we'll accept."

" But all this time the tragedy has hurt your side. It took seventeen years of your life! And what about name cleaning? Does that not matter to you?" ask Rey.

" I'll probably try to some extent. I just don't want to take care of it now, not when the people who mean the most to me know the truth. I just want to forget everything and start all over again. Besides, it's not the system that's harming me. Honesty of one person. No system can replace the absence of honesty."

" Are you serious?" ask Rey.

" very. At least, it's over. At least you know the truth, and so does your family. That's more than I've ever dared to hope for in a long time. And there are so many other things I look forward to going forward."

" With me and Jason, is that enough?"

" What more can I ask for?" Kikan felt himself lighter than air. He will be able to walk all over their small town with his head held high. He had no need to fear the Lori family or accept the hatred of those who had attacked him so fiercely before. He can come to Jason's game without hesitation and feels his son has no reason to be ashamed of him. "I will never forget how embarrassed Lori's family was after Via revealed everything, and how sorry your parents were."

" They were wrong, and now they know it." Rey hooked their fingers together. "So what do you think?"

Kikan looked at Rey's face while the man was driving. There was a gurgle that indicated he wanted to take the conversation in a different direction, but Kikan did not know which direction. "About what?"

Rey grimacing. "Isn't it time you made me a bracelet?"

♪

Rey can't wait to tell Jason what's going on with Via, and he knows Kikan is even more excited. The woman constantly squeezed her hands and moved the weight from one leg to the other while they stood waiting outside the cafe and looked at Jason parking the car in the parking lot. Jason knew they were happy thanks to something, because they looked at him with great enthusiasm. But Jason didn't know what they were going to tell him.

" Hey!" greet Jason. Jason's shoes rang in the driveway as he approached. Jason came straight from the basketball practice, and asked if he should stop by the house and take a shower first but they were too excited to meet him.

Jason glanced at Rey, while he received his mother's embrace, looking somewhat hesitant, and Rey winked to say that he had nothing to worry about.

" We met Via today," Kikan spoke with a smile as he took off his child's arms.

" And?" Jason sounded more hesitant.

" She's finally telling the truth." Rey raised her voice as Kikan's tears had already broken again, and she was constantly wiping her face. "He claimed he was the one who caused Lori's death" Rey said.

" Is this really? You're not kidding, are you?" Jason almost screamed for being so excited, which caught the attention of a group of passers-by. But Rey even wants to appeal to the rest of the world, and she believes Kikan has the same feelings.

Smiling and tearful, Kikan shook his head and Jason grabbed him again in his arms. "Mom does Mom know what this means?"

Kikan laughed while Jason swung around in circles. "That means you don't have to wonder about me anymore or feel like you believe the worst" she said.

" We've always believed in you, Mom, isn't that a reward?" Jason. "People like you can't do that!"

Seeing Jason hug his mother with relief and happiness makes Rey emotional. She was worried that her voice would break, so Rey cleared her throat to hide her emotions and nodded instead of making a sound.

" Did my grandmother and grandfather hear it too? ask Jason, while lowering Kikan.

" Yes, " answered Kikan. "The Lori family heard it too, and we all owe your father, he's the one who made Via confess that he took the steering wheel."

" How did Papa do it?" ask Jason.

Rey has recovered enough to speak without losing control, so she interrupts before Kikan recounts their experience. "Let's go in first, and we'll tell you what he's in the mail inside."

" It's so great!" Jason told Kikan. Kikan smiled wider than Rey had ever seen.

"It feels so good to be free, really free, in the end" Kikan said, then slipped under Rey's arm as they walked into the cafe.