Mrs. Sawyer, the elderly lawyer representing Runebelle's mother rose from her seat. She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat before addressing the judge.

"Your Honor, I must request permission to address the final statement made by Mrs. Pearl. What we have just heard is nothing short of a baseless conspiracy theory, wouldn’t you agree?"

The judge considered Mrs. Sawyer's request carefully before nodding in agreement. "Very well, Mrs. Sawyer.”

"Your Honor, esteemed members of the court, I submit to you evidence that the claims made by Mrs. Pearl are nothing but baseless conjecture. Here," Mrs. Sawyer said while pointing to a document, "is a legal document supposedly signed by Mrs. Lorraine; however, if you examine the dates, they simply do not add up."

She then turned her attention to the mysterious black card with the white 'S' that Mrs. Pearl had presented. "As for this card," she continued while gesturing towards the card, "there is absolutely no concrete evidence to link it to the matters at hand. This card, which Mrs. Pearl claims to have found in Mrs. Lorraine's possession, has no proven connection to this custody battle. It is merely a distraction, meant to cloud the court's judgment with baseless speculation."

Mrs. Pearl, though visibly frustrated, knew she had no concrete evidence to counter Mrs. Sawyer's claims. She clenched her fists but remained silent, realizing that her earlier theory lacked the necessary substantiation.

The judge, too, observed the presented evidence carefully, pondering the validity of Mrs. Sawyer's argument.

Mrs. Sawyer, seizing the moment, declared, "Your Honor, the document is a forgery, created by Mrs. Lorraine and her legal representative, Mrs. Pearl, in an attempt to deceive this court and the card has no bases on this case. Mrs. Pearl has just been wasting your time."

Mrs. Pearl slammed her hand on the defense’s desk, "Your Honor, this is preposterous! We have never forged any documents. The evidence we had was tampered with, but we didn't do it!"

Mrs. Sawyer, with a sly smile replied, “Oh…’really’? Then, Mrs. Pearl, who’ else’ had access to this evidence other than you and Mrs. Lorraine? This seems like an attempt to manipulate the court's proceedings."

Mrs. Pearl, taken aback, gained a serious face and spoke with confidence, "I do not know, but I can assure you of one thing, Your Honor. We have acted with the utmost integrity."

The judge looked at Mrs.Pearl with a glare. “Mrs. Pearl, on the evidence Mrs. Sawyer provided, do you have anything to refute her claims?"

Mrs. Pearl took a deep breath. "Your Honor, while we do not have physical evidence to counter these accusations, I believe that the sudden appearance of these discrepancies suggests foul play. We need more time to investigate the true origins of these documents."

Mrs. Sawyer laughed, a sharp and mocking sound that echoed through the tense courtroom. Mrs. Pearl turned towards her, glaring. "What’s so funny?"

Mrs. Sawyer shook her head with a condescending smile and her hands behind her back. "Oh, Mrs. Pearl, you’ve made a rookie attorney’s mistake. You don’t seem to know which judge you’re pleading with. Judge Harmon is known for his unwavering adherence to procedure and evidence. Asking for more time without presenting concrete evidence to him is a gamble that will never pay off in his courtroom."

Mrs. Pearl's face flushed, her frustration with anger she held back and embarrassment at the facts. "We have acted with the utmost integrity," she repeated, though lacking the earlier conviction.

Judge Harmon was unimpressed. He leaned forward slightly. "Mrs. Sawyer has a point, Mrs. Pearl. This court operates on facts and verified evidence. Baseless claims and conspiracy theories have no place here."

Mrs. Sawyer continued with a raised hand. “In the absence of solid evidence, all you have left are accusations, and with these allegations of forgery, you might want to be careful. You’d be better off hoping you don’t get disbarred."

Mrs. Pearl clenched her fists. "This is unfair! There’s clearly something more going on here than you think. We need time to uncover the truth."

Judge Harmon shook his head. "This court has no patience for unsubstantiated claims. If you have nothing further to present, we will proceed based on the evidence currently on record."

Murmurs went through the crowd and the jury. The judge, with a sigh of frustration, banged his gavel to restore order in the courtroom.

"Based on the evidence presented and the serious allegations of document forgery, it is with a heavy heart that I must make a ruling..."

Before the judge could complete his sentence, Mrs. Pearl desperately shouted, "Your Honor, please! If you could just grant me a little more time to investigate this matter further, I believe I can—"

The judge, however, interrupted her plea "I have heard enough! This case has already taken up a significant amount of court time, and I believe we have reached a conclusion. I hereby rule in favor of the prosecution."

The room fell silent.

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In the courtroom lobby, as the case came to a close, Mrs. Lorraine, accompanied by Mrs. Pearl, approached Runebelle. Mrs. Lorraine wore a somber look."Runebelle, I'm so sorry that things turned out this way. I never wanted you to go through this."

Runebelle, her eyes filled with sadness, nodded in acknowledgment. She then mustered the courage to ask, "Can I at least see Milaca one last time? I want to say goodbye."

Mrs. Lorraine hesitated for a moment, her gaze shifting to Mrs. Pearl, who appeared equally curious about Runebelle's request. Finally, Mrs. Lorraine replied, "I'm afraid it's probably best if you don't see her right now, Runebelle. Milaca is going through... something, and it's a difficult time for her."

Mrs. Pearl turned to Runebelle and said, "You know, Runebelle, this case has left me feeling quite puzzled. I've lost cases before, but this one felt... different. Mrs. Sawyers allowed your Mother to take full control up until I finished my final statement, and I found myself with little to no evidence to counter their claims."

She continued, "I want you to know that this case isn’t over. I'll keep digging for answers. There's got to be more to this case than meets the eye."

Runebelle looked up at Mrs. Pearl, curiosity and confusion evident in her eyes. "Why do you want to dig further into this? You’re not getting paid to do it."

Mrs. Pearl met Runebelle’s gaze. "Runebelle, sometimes it’s not about the money. It’s about justice. Your mother’s sudden reappearance, the forged documents, and this black card. There’s too much that’s unsolved here for me to just say ‘Case closed’ due to the judge’s hasty ruling."

Runebelle's eyes widened as she listened. “But what if you can’t find anything? What if it’s all just a dead end?"

Mrs. Pearl placed a hand on Runebelle's shoulder. "Then at least we’ll know I tried. I don’t believe it’s a dead end though. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and my instincts tell me we’re onto something, just…try to hang in there for me. You’ll see those two make up before you know it.”

Runebelle nodded.

Runebelle's mother, Rune, stormed out of the courtroom furiously. Her eyes locked onto Runebelle who was standing near Mrs. Loraine.

"You!" Rune hissed, pointing an accusatory finger at Mrs. Loraine. "You're nothing but a fucking predator! Stay away from my daughter!"

Mrs. Loraine maintained her composure in the face of Rune's accusations. She chose not to engage in the confrontation; however, Mrs. Pearl stepped forward.

“Rune," Mrs. Pearl began, "I understand that emotions are running high, but you need to stay calm. I've heard reports of you being in places you shouldn't have been.”

Rune responded with defiance, "I haven't done anything wrong, and you have no proof of that!"

Mrs. Pearl continued her inquiry, "Rune, can you tell me what you've been doing during the time you were away from Runebelle and under Mrs. Loraine's custody? It might help us better understand the situation."

Rune hesitated for a moment before responding, "I... I've been trying to make things right. I wanted to protect Runebelle, but everything just fell apart."

Rune pointed accusingly at Mrs. Loraine, "It was all you though. I know it’s you. It’s YOU! It's all your fault, Loraine! You ruined everything with what you did you bitch!"

Without waiting for a response, Rune grabbed Runebelle and stormed out of the courtroom, leaving behind a bewildered Mrs. Pearl.

Mrs. Pearl watched them go. She muttered to herself, "Something ain’t right here…"

Rune and Runebelle disappeared from view, but there were tears in Rune's eyes.

‘This case is still wide open for me, and I’m gonna find that diamond iv’e been looking for,’ Mrs Pearl thought.

Runebelle and Rune stood on the city streets outside the courthouse. Runebelle's mother, Rune noticed her daughter's avoidance of eye contact. Her heart ached at the thought of their strained relationship.

She gently reached out to touch Runebelle, "Runebelle, please look at me. I know things have been difficult, and I'm sorry for the pain you've endured."

Runebelle finally met her mother's gaze, her eyes reflecting onfusion and sadness. She listened intently as Rune continued to speak.

Rune sighed deeply, "I wish I had good news for you, Runebelle. I truly do. But I need you to understand something. Mrs. Loraine, she's not who you think she is."

Rune squeezed her daughter's shoulder tightly. She became increasingly erratic as she said, “Don’t worry, honey. I'll protect you. I'll protect you, no matter what... no matter what..."

Runebelle felt somewhat uneasy about her mother’s behavior, but she nodded her head in response.

Runebelle settled back into her home with her mother, but she noticed something. The once caring and loving woman had now shifted into an overdrive of care and concern. Runebelle found herself constantly attended to, with her mother hovering nearby, ensuring her every need was met.

One day, Runebelle entered the house with her school bag slung over one shoulder. It had been another tough day at school. Her mother, Rune, who had been waiting eagerly by the door, immediately noticed her daughter having a downcast demeanor.

"Runebelle, how did school go today?" Rune inquired with a gentle smile, though concern lurked in her eyes.

Runebelle sighed, setting her bag down, "As usual, Mom... it was sad."

Rune enveloped her daughter in a warm and tight embrace, holding her close. “Don't worry, don’t worry! I'll do everything I can to make you feel happy. Today, we're going to have a wonderful time together!"

True to her words, Rune had already prepared dinner early, and she had plans to spend the evening playing games and sharing laughs with Runebelle, doing her best to chase away the shadows of sadness that seemed to linger over her daughter's life.

Runebelle settled into her bed that night. Rune had wrapped her arms around her daughter, holding her as they drifted off into deep sleep.

Runebelle went about her morning routine, preparing herself for another day of school. As she gathered her things and headed out the door, her mother, Rune, followed closely behind. She struck up a conversation with Runebelle, engaging in small talk to fill the silence that had grown between them.

"Did you sleep well, sweetheart?" Rune asked, her tone gentle and caring.

Runebelle responded with a soft nod. "Yeah, I slept fine, Mom."

Rune continued, trying to bridge the gap that had developed between them, "I made your favorite breakfast this morning. How was it?"

Runebelle glanced back at Rune, managing a small smile. "The breakfast was great, Mom. Thanks for making it."

Rune clasped her hands together with a smile.” I’m glad you enjoyed breakfast, sweetie, and about school, I know it can be tough, but don't you worry. I've come up with a whole list of fun games we can play together after school! It'll be fun, just like old times."

As Runebelle prepared to leave for school, she turned to her mother, Rune. "Mom, I do like what you’ve been doing for me lately, but I um… I want to help you, too, you know? We can make things better together."

Rune looked at Runebelle with confusion and frustration. Her face contorted with a crazed anger that Runebelle hadn't seen before. She responded with intensity, "NO! IT…It has to be perfect... I… I can't have anything go wrong! I need to protect you, I need to make everything perfect, I can’t fail. I can’t fail! We will have perfection…or we will have nothing!"