Trapped in the Love of Stepchildren
Chapter 21's

Laura sat up straight in the judgment seat, her heart pounding. The room was filled with a tense atmosphere, with the judge sitting on the podium and the lawyers looking at him sharply. Laura knows that she is currently undergoing an investigation that could change her life forever.

Her ex-husband's family lawyer stands before the court with a notebook in his hand. She firmly looked at Laura as if trying to find weakness in her stern gaze. "Is it true that you are in a loving relationship with Daniel, your own stepson?" ask her in a challenging tone.

Laura gulped her saliva, trying to keep her composure. "Yes, that's right," he replied slowly. "Daniel and I have had a close relationship over the last few months. But we love each other, and we've tried to keep this private."

The lawyer nodded sharply. "But, Laura's mother, do you realize that this is a serious conflict of interest? You are stepmother to Daniel. What makes you think that this relationship is ethical?"

Laura sighed deeply, trying to explain the situation. "I understand there is conflict here, but I think everyone deserves to find happiness in their lives. Daniel and I love each other, and we don't want to hurt anyone. We try to keep this separate from our family relationship, but that love is undeniable."

The judge, an old man with a gray beard, nodded understandingly. "Mother Laura, I understand that love can come at any time and to anyone. However, did you realize that this could have an impact on the feelings of those closest to you, including Daniel's own family and even friends?”

Laura looked into the judges eyes expectantly. "I realized that it wasn't easy for Daniel, and we both have talked a lot about this. We try to safeguard the feelings and interests of everyone in our environment. But I cannot deny that Daniel was the one who gave me happiness after losing my husband. We both just want to be happy."

The lawyer from her ex-husband's family nodded, then gnashed his notebook. "Mother Laura, I understand that you have gone through many hardships and losses. But did you know that this relationship could potentially be a breach of ethics? You are a stepmother who is supposed to be in charge, and this can undermine the trust placed in you and also undermine the views of others about stepmother.”

Laura looked at the lawyer with eyes full of decisiveness. "I understand that there are ethical considerations to consider, but I cannot control my feelings. What Daniel and I have is something that is real, and we are both trying to keep nobody from getting hurt. I know that it's not easy, but we both chose to face it together."

The lawyer's view became more serious, while the judge seemed silent in thought. After a while, the judge finally let out a voice. "Mother Laura, after considering all the evidence and arguments presented, the court ruled that you should keep this relationship separate from your family relationship. You can't meet Daniel until the case is over."

Laura felt a deep pain in her heart, but she nodded as a sign of understanding. He knew that this was a compromise he had to make in order to protect Daniel and safeguard the ethics of family and society.

—

After the trial ended, Laura walked out of the courtroom with heavy steps. She felt a void in her heart, but she also felt a strong determination to keep her relationship with Daniel. He knows that their love is strong, and they are both willing to fight to keep the fire burning.

As Laura walks towards her car, she sees Daniel waiting for her outside the court. His face looks strong, but it is also full of love. They stared at each other in silence, knowing that right now they had to respect the court's verdict.

Laura looked at Daniel with confidence. "I believe you, Daniel. We're gonna get through this together, and someday, we're gonna be together without a hitch." The two of them hugged each other tightly, feeling the warmth and love that strengthened each other.

—

Laura sat on the floor, hugging her trembling knees. He doesn't believe what's going on. His once loving and warm home is now surrounded by cheering and angry residents even carrying terrible tools. They came up with one goal: to destroy Laura's house.

The atmosphere became so noisy and chaotic. Residents were screaming, yelling, and throwing stones at the windows. Laura could hear the sound of broken glass bouncing and hitting the wall. He feels terrified, sandwiched between angry citizens who want to destroy his home and his helplessness to protect whatever is left of his past life.

Suddenly, an angry man ran over and pushed Laura to the floor. "It's all because of you, Laura!" he shouted in a harsh tone. "You let your depraved passions cloud your mind and undermine the norms of our society!"

Laura sat on the floor, feeling physical and emotional pain. Laura groped her body which felt limp. The physical pain of the violent impulse made him feel helpless. His crying broke out, mixed with the condemnation and ridicule cast by the surrounding residents. He could not understand how the love he had with Daniel could fuel this much hatred. He felt guilty, feeling like he was in charge of all this rioting.

Several other citizens approached, besieging Laura with gazes full of anger. They waved their fists in front of his face and shouted words of contempt. "Get out of here, Laura!" yell at one of them. "We don't want to see you again! You have destroyed our peace!"

Laura covered her face with both hands, trying to protect herself from the rain of punches and words that pierced her heart. He felt a sense of destruction that was unimaginable before. She knew that her life would change after losing her husband, but she never imagined that it would be like this.

Suddenly, a loud voice broke the noise of the citizens. “Enough!" a man shouted from a distance. Everyone stopped and turned towards the voice. It looked as if a young man in neat clothes was standing in the middle of the crowd, staring at them firmly.

The man stepped forward and pointed towards Laura. "You should all be ashamed! How can we build justice and peace with violence and hostility?" his voice broke the gripping silence. "Laura is our neighbor, our brother! We must support each other and find a peaceful way to resolve this issue."

The crowd was somewhat speechless, some of whom seemed to be pondering over the young man's words. Laura thanked inwardly the stranger who had stood up to defend her. He felt a little relieved to believe that there was still hope for peace amid this unrest.

The young man walked over towards Laura, helping her get up from the floor. "Pardon them, Laura," he said in a soft voice. "They're just afraid of the existing conditions and need someone to blame. But it's not entirely your fault. We can solve this by talking and finding solutions together."

Laura nodded, she tried to stand aided by the young man.