30 Days till I Divorce My Husband (Estrella and Jason)

Chapter 264

Autumn reluctantly agreed to Jason’s proposal for a Saturday get-together with a forced smile, despite her reluctance. “Sure, Saturday it is.”

And just like that, plans were made.

No sooner had Jason left than Estrella noted Autumn’s discontent. “I’ve told you before not to make promises you can’t keep. Now you’ve gotten yourself into a pickle.”

Over the past few weeks, each time Jason dropped them off, Estrella never invited him inside, despite his inquiries about when he might come in for a visit. Estrella always deftly changed the subject. It wasn’t the right time.

But this time, Autumn had done the inviting herself, and Estrella felt it wasn’t her place to comment. She didn’t make the invitation anyway.

Hearing Estrella’s words, Autumn sulked, “How was I to know Jason would be so presumptuous?”

Estrella replied matter-of-factly, “He’s never been one for pleasantries.” With that, Estrella retreated to her bedroom.

Not long ago, her father had suggested that Isaac should start sleeping in his own room to foster independence and give Estrella a break. Estrella couldn’t bear the separation, so mother and son continued to share a room. Upon entering, Estrella found the nanny had already bathed Isaac and tucked him into bed.

The nanny whispered with a smile, “Miss, little saac is such an angel. Slept through his bath just like you used to.”

“Thanks, Judy,” Estrella said, approaching the crib and gently stroking Isaac’s peaceful

face.

After a brief chat with Judy, Estrella took her own shower and finished up some work before finally settling into the large bed next to Isaac’s.

Come Friday, the day of the third hearing for the Glimmering Lake case, Estrella woke up early, had breakfast with Isaac, and then drove to the courthouse. Upon her arrival, Jason was already there.

The roadblock incident involving Estrella and Keegan, along with the alarming number of Glimmering Lake villagers falling ill, had captured public interest, drawing a sizable crowd of onlookers to the courtroom.

As Estrella stepped out of her car, Jason approached her, tucking away a stray lock of her hair and straightening her coat’s collar. “Just do your best and don’t stress,” he encouraged.

Estrella appreciated his acknowledgment of her hard work. After a brief exchange with

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Jason, Estrella entered the courthouse.

Some Glimmering Lake villagers had arrived, and seeing them, Estrella’s mind shifted completely to her work, pushing thoughts of Jason aside.

commenced shortly after, with the judge and ChemiSphere’s attorneys taking their places. The villagers seethed with anger at the

attempts to pacify them with offers of

new evidence. Estrella stood up from her position representing the plaintiffs, “Your Honor, in addition to more medical

counsel blanched at the mention of an employee’s testimony, cursing the failed attempt to silence the

Estrella to present the new evidence, leaving the opposing counsel

her case, “The new evidence reveals that although ChemiSphere purchased wastewater treatment equipment, it was

treating sewage for now, from these testimonies and data, it is clear that ChemiSphere has not used or operated

rebut, “Your Honor, while it’s true that the equipment was acquired from another company,

wastewater treatment device, purchased from a sister company within our conglomerate, is nearly new and fully meets national emission standards. It has been

As for your claim of its near-new condition,

assumptions are baseless and slanderous towards other companies.”

of the equipment. Surely, counsel, you’re well aware of the operational costs and consumption of using such a machine.”

out a set of graphs and charts, which

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she addressed the presiding judge, “Your Honor, according to our extensive research, it’s evident that ChemiSphere’s power

that wastewater processor, let alone the entire factory’s activities, as well as the processor itself. If there’s any doubt

turned out, the machine in question was a relic from years past-an antiquated behemoth that was not only costly to run but also

and surreptitiously filled their wastewater discharge channels

another. “We can now state with certainty that for the past decade, ChemiSphere has been discharging untreated wastewater directly

are even villagers who’ve been hospitalized due

Lake.”

the new evidence from Estrella, a murmur arose from the gallery. A villager stood up, his voice breaking through the courtroom’s tense silence, “I was one of the workers ChemiSphere hired to plug the old channel and dig the new one. I can

the machines at

even taken the initiative to ensure the villagers had access to clean water and food. Her dedication and compassion had won over the hearts of the community, and those

his gavel, bringing a semblance of order, “Please, everyone remain calm. We will call upon witnesses as necessary.”

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hush fell over

evidence, the judge and the jury conferred briefly before delivering the verdict, “Pursuant to Article 338 of our Penal Code, ChemiSphere is found guilty of environmental contamination. Given the severity of the offense, including the loss of fertile land and the pollution of a vital waterway, we hereby sentence the legal representative of ChemiSphere, Jace, to 10 years of imprisonment. Additionally,

beneath him. He turned to his lawyer in a panic, “Say something! Aren’t you supposed to be the

of!”

voiced their indignation, “Your family’s lives matter, but what about

to register their anger, clung to his lawyer, “Do something! What good is hiring you if you