My Son’s Bully Was His Old Flame’s Son Chapter 04

My Son’s Bully Was His Old Flame’s Son Chapter 04

As the trial date approached, a video exploded across the internet.

In the footage, Carl was no longer the victim, he was framed as the aggressor. Trent, the real bully, became the innocent one.

Public opinion surged instantly. My social media accounts were dug up and flooded with attacks.

Carl was suspended from school, and no matter how many calls I made, not a single person was willing to help.

For the first time, I tasted what true, crushing helplessness felt like. That was when Joseph called.

“If you withdraw the lawsuit now, there’s still time. As long as you retract everything, I can restore the situation to how it was.”

Under his calm tone, my voice broke into a scream. “Joseph, you will burn in hell! How can you be this cruel? Carl is your son! How can you treat him like this?!”

A long silence passed. Then Joseph sighed.

“Sierra, I only wanted you to be more cooperative. You’re too stubborn.”

I hurled the phone across the room. Carl walked in, pale-faced.

“Mom… does Dad not want us anymore?”

I wiped my tears carelessly and rushed to hold him. “Carl, sweetheart… you still have me. I’m here.”

But the video had already spread far beyond the school, it reached the entire community.

Neighbors who once smiled at us now acted as if we carried a plague. Some threw paint at our door, banged on it, screamed insults, demanding I take my son and get out.

Joseph didn’t come home for two days. I held Carl in my arms through the nights, clutching the handle of a kitchen knife, my eyes fixed on the deadbolt. I didn’t dare close my eyes.

That was how I survived until the day of the trial.

When I took Carl downstairs, the community gate was swarmed with reporters and onlookers. The courthouse entrance was so packed it was nearly impossible to move.

Someone hurled a rock at us, shouting that we deserved retribution.

I shielded Carl as we pushed forward. By the time we made it inside, my clothes were covered in dust, and blood trickled down my forehead from where the stone had hit.

At that moment, Joseph and Julia entered through a side door. Our eyes met.

His gaze was full of open mockery, as if laughing at my delusion, my incompetence, my self-inflicted misery.

Inside the courtroom, every seat was filled. Because of the case’s soaring attention, a livestream was opened.

The moment it went live, the comments were flooded with abuse toward me and Carl.

[Kids nowadays are so manipulative. He’s clearly the bully pretending to be the victim. Can we lower the age for criminal charges and lock him up already?]

[The mother evades taxes, the son bullies classmates. Trash runs in the family!]

[Poor Mr. Sterling! Look at the wife and son he got stuck with!]

On the judge’s platform, Joseph sat perched on the bench, a gargoyle of judicial indifference. His expression remained calm as he tapped the gavel lightly for silence.

The trial officially began. Julia presented the so-called evidence, the viral video.

The heavily edited footage showed Carl mid-outburst, his face contorted in a way that masked his terror as aggression.

Below, Trent clung to Julia with a terrified expression, fully performing the role of traumatized victim. “Mom, I’m so scared… what did I do wrong? Why did he hit me…”

Beside me, Carl shot to his feet, crying out in frustration. “I didn’t hit you! You hit me!”

He looked at Joseph, even more distraught. He opened his mouth to call for his father, but Joseph slammed the gavel down, ruthlessly.

“Order!”

Carl flinched violently and sank back into his seat. Julia held Trent, sobbing softly. “I only have one request. I want the other side to apologize to me and my son.”

Her so-called magnanimity earned waves of sympathy online.

[Julia is such a kind mother. If my child were hurt, I would never forgive the attacker.]

[The evidence is right there! Still trying to twist the truth? That brat really is trash!]

[Lock the mother and son up. Don’t let them out again, they’ll just hurt more people.]

In the courtroom, whispers began among the jury observers.

“I know this woman. Mr. Sterling never wanted to marry her. She drugged him and got pregnant to force him into it.”

“Her son is just like her, scheming.”

“Her lawyer isn’t even here. Obviously they know she’s losing.”

Someone shouted impatiently. “Apologize to Julia right now!”

More and more voices joined in, demanding that Carl and I apologize. Through it all, Joseph sat high above, overlooking me as if I were already defeated.

At last, he tapped the gavel again. “Plaintiff, do you have anything else to say?”

I didn’t panic. My expression stayed calm. Seeing my silence, Joseph let out a small breath of relief.

“In that case…”

Before he could finish, the courtroom doors burst open. My lawyer rushed inside. I curled my lips into a cold smile.

“Hold on, Your Honor. I have something to say. I move to introduce new evidence that fundamentally alters the nature of this proceeding.”