The courthouse smelled like old wood and sweat.
It was the kind of place that held secrets in its walls and judgment in the air. A place where voices echoed longer than they should, and where the truth, when spoken, could feel like violence.
Majekodunmi Adebayo sat on the third bench from the front, flanked by Aunt Eniola and his cousin Kola, his palms damp with nerves. His face was calm, but his mind roared like a storm.
Today wasn't just about justice.
It was about closure.
It was about finally letting the truth walk free—even if it limped.
Across the room, Agnes Lewis arrived in a navy blue dress, her head held high, her heels clicking against the tiled floor like war drums. Her father walked beside her in silence, his face tight, his power dimmed.
And seated already at the defense table, smirking behind a pair of rimless glasses, was Lami Goriola.
He wore arrogance like a tailored suit.
He didn't look nervous. He didn't look afraid.
He looked amused.
Because in his mind, justice was still just a negotiation.
And he believed he had the better lawyer.
The presiding judge was a tall woman with braided grey hair and sharp eyes: Justice Moremi Oladipo.
Her presence alone was enough to silence the courtroom.
She reviewed the files quietly before speaking.
"This case regards the shooting of Ms. Agnes Lewis outside Red Café, two months prior. The accused is Mr. Lami Akins Goriola. The original suspect, Mr. Majekodunmi Adebayo, was cleared of charges after new evidence emerged, including medical testimony and circumstantial support. This court seeks to determine whether the shooting was accidental—or intentional."
She paused, eyes scanning the courtroom.
"This trial begins now."
First Witness: Agnes Lewis
Agnes stood and walked to the front with the poise of a queen.
Sworn in, seated, and handed a glass of water, she took a steady breath as the prosecutor began.
"Ms. Lewis, what do you remember about the evening of your shooting?"
She locked eyes with Majek before answering.
"I remember feeling free for the first time in months. I was with someone I trusted. Someone who had never treated me like property."
"And then?"
She looked at Lami.
"I remember hearing his voice. Threatening. Possessive. Then I remember pain."
"Did you see a weapon?"
"Yes."
"Who held it?"
"Lami."
The courtroom rippled.
"And are you certain?"
"I've seen that moment in my dreams every night since. I'm sure."
The prosecutor nodded, satisfied.
Then it was the defense's turn.
Lami's lawyer—a smooth-talking man named Barrister Nduka—rose.
"Ms. Lewis, you suffered memory loss, correct?"
"Yes."
"So how do we know your recollection isn't corrupted by suggestion?"
Agnes smiled. Cold. Sharp.
"Because fear doesn't lie. And I fear him."
"You and Mr. Adebayo were romantically involved, yes?"
Agnes paused. "We were... something. Something real."
"Isn't it possible that your feelings clouded your memory?"
"No," she said firmly. "But it seems like money has clouded your client's conscience."
There was a soft gasp in the courtroom.
Judge Oladipo raised a brow but said nothing.
The defense sat down.
Agnes returned to her seat beside her father.
Mr. Smith looked at her with something between pride and apology.
Second Witness: Majek Adebayo
Majek took the stand with steady legs but trembling hands.
He didn't look at Lami.
He looked at Agnes.
And spoke.
"I was with her that night. We were talking. That's all. When he showed up, I stood between them. And I saw the gun."
"Did he aim it?"
"Yes."
"At you?"
"Yes."
"But she was hit instead?"
"She stepped forward," Majek said quietly. "Tried to stop him. And he pulled the trigger anyway."
The prosecutor nodded. "Did you fight back?"
"No. I just tried to stop the bleeding."
"And after that?"
"I was arrested."
"Even though you were the one protecting her?"
Majek didn't answer. His silence was louder than anything he could've said.
Defense approached.
"You were previously suspended from SMG for misconduct. How do we know you weren't manipulating Ms. Lewis?"
"I never manipulated her," Majek said calmly. "She was the one light in a room I'd spent years trying to reach."
"And you expect us to believe that you, a man from Surulere, never saw opportunity in loving the CEO's daughter?"
"I didn't fall in love with her title. I fell in love with her strength."
The courtroom held its breath.
Even the judge didn't interrupt.
Third Witness: Surveillance Analyst
A neutral tech specialist confirmed that while the café camera had been down, parking lot footage from a nearby building had been recovered days later.
The prosecutor submitted a still image into evidence.
In it: Agnes, startled. Majek shielding her. Lami's arm raised.
Gun visible.
Defense objected. Claimed "lack of continuity."
Objection overruled.
Lami's smirk twitched for the first time.
Recess
Agnes and Majek stood in the hallway, face to face.
He looked tired. She looked alive.
"You spoke like a man who finally forgave himself," she said gently.
"I'm trying," he said. "Every day."
"I'm proud of you."
"I'm proud of you too," he said. "You turned silence into a sword."
Their fingers brushed.
The past no longer loomed. It knelt.
Final Witness: Surprise Testimony
Just before the court reconvened, Aunt Eniola stepped forward.
"I'd like to submit myself as a witness. I have testimony regarding a phone call I overheard the day before the shooting."
Lami's lawyer objected.
But Judge Oladipo leaned forward.
"Proceed."
Eniola stood tall.
"Lami called a private investigator the day before the incident. I overheard him saying—and I quote—'I want everything on Majek. If he doesn't back off, I'll make him disappear.'"
She held out her phone.
"I recorded it. And backed it up. Because I knew this would happen."
Gasps.
Judge Oladipo played the recording. The court fell into stillness.
Then—Lami stood.
Eyes wild. Face red.
"She lied! I never said that!"
Judge Oladipo stared him down. "So now you speak."
Silence.
No more smirking.
No more escape.
Verdict Day – Two Weeks Later
The courtroom was quieter than ever.
Everyone waited.
Lami sat in a pressed black suit, hands clasped like a schoolboy.
Majek sat behind Agnes, eyes on the judge.
Justice Moremi Oladipo read her notes.
"This court finds the defendant guilty of intentional harm, unlawful possession of a firearm, and obstruction of justice. Sentencing will follow in a separate hearing."
The gavel hit wood.
Majek closed his eyes.
Agnes exhaled for what felt like the first time in months.
And Lami?
He was led out of the room in cuffs.
No smirk. No words.
Just silence.
At last.
That Evening – The Balcony
They stood beneath the city sky again.
Agnes, barefoot. Majek, quiet as usual.
"I think I'm ready now," she said.
"For what?"
"For whatever this is. For us. No legacy. No guilt. Just… now."
Majek didn't smile.
He pulled her close.
And whispered:
"I've loved you from the moment I wasn't allowed to."
She pressed her forehead to his.
"Then love me loud. I'm tired of silence."
Their kiss this time wasn't careful.
It was earned.