Chapter 163 - The Ordeal

Leo quivered in anger as he held the piece of paper. He was not only betrayed but also accused of a crime he did not do. Never in his wild imagination could he portray the depth of Amalia's wickedness. Never did he imagine that she would go through such length to throw him out of her life. He always adored and placed her on a pedestal, only to find she could do this horrible thing against him.

"What happened next?" asked Joanna when Leo stopped talking. 

"I was put to shame..." Leo answered, and Joanna stared at him. He got lost in his thoughts and winced as scenes of painful memories flashed in his mind.c

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Fernan, Leo's cousin, accompanied him when he appeared at the arraignment in their local court, where the district captain acted as the judge. Raul was already there with Amalia when they arrived. For a moment, Leo met the scornful eyes of Raul, killing him with his mocking expression even before the trial began. His eyes then fell on Amalia, who was sitting at a corner, and her eyes remained fixed on the ground. It looked like she was crying all night.

Somehow, just by the look of her forlorn figure, Leo sensed something wrong going on behind. No matter how angry he was, a part of him believed that Amalia could never do this cruel thing against him.  Somehow, Leo still thought she truly loved him. Perhaps, he was only blinded by his deep affection for her that he again chose to linger on this idea, but he could not deceive his inner instinct.

After both parties took their oath to tell nothing but the truth, Amalia started to cry. She tried to keep her voice as low as possible, but her emotions betrayed her. Her snifflings kept louder and louder until Raul gave her a warning gaze. 

"Amalia, can you describe what happened?" the voice of the captain rang in her ears, and she sprang up to her feet.

"Cap-captain," she stuttered, her lips were visibly quivering.

"I repeat, Miss Amalia, can you describe to us how this man assaulted you sexually?"

Amalia's knees trembled, and she could not dare to look at anyone, even to the captain. Leo squinted as he gave her his undivided attention, horrified by her audacity to tell a lie. To his horror, she opened her mouth, but as she started to talk, a sudden urge to cry swallowed all the lines she memorized in her mind.

The captain started to become upset, and his restrained anger terrified Amalia further. "We were in our hut in the field...and ...we made love."

"Amalia, we are here because you want to raise your complaints against Mr. Gonzaga for assaulting you sexually. It sounds like you were submitting to the act willingly. Tell us the full details."

It took Amalia a couple of minutes to speak up until the raised tone of the captain scared her. She had already taken so much delay, and this made the captain get bored and irritated.

"He tore up my clothes and slapped me until he succeeded despite my resistance..."

"Describe it in detail, which came first and what happened next," the captain's voice jolted her from her seat. How she wished she could disappear.

"He kissed me hungrily, and as he ran his hands over my body, I resisted. I cannot allow him to do that, but he slapped me and tore off my clothes. He then forced himself in me," narrated Amalia in between his sobs. The people were confused. Was Amalia crying because she didn't want to make a false accusation against him, or was she crying because she narrated a traumatic experience?

Leo shuddered in anger and humiliation upon hearing her. How could she afford to wave those lies when, at times, she even initiated it with him? They were together for several years already and were enjoying the deed for a long time. He looked around, and his eyes fell on Raul. The smirk on his face as he held his gaze was enough to tell him that Raul was manipulating Amalia to go against him.

The testimonies of the witnesses against Leo made him receive his verdict. In his time, their local court had their own set of punishments for all who were found guilty of doing any crime. Those who were guilty of sexual assaults were punished by having them go around the town on parade with nothing on. Before the execution, the captain's messengers announced it so that the people would swarm the event, and they could be the spectators and witnesses of the guilty's shame and nakedness. After this execution, the plaintiff could decide whether or not to pursue his complaints on the higher court.

The local authority detained Leo in their district jail until the day he would take the punishment. No one was allowed to visit him except his immediate family. His parents were furious and even swore to avenge for him, but he begged not to. He instead decided to leave the place and stay forever in their faraway place in Molave, if Amalia would no longer bring the case to the higher court. Little did Leo know that if Amalia made the situation worse, his parents would not hesitate to take the matter into their hands. They knew their son better than anyone else, and they knew the pure intentions of his heart.

The day came and Leo stood naked in a cart drawn by a horse. His hands were bound at his back and his full nudity was exposed to the public. In his forehead was a paper crown printed with, "I am a rapist". He stood there for hours as they went around the town, enduring the scorching heat of the sun. Most of all, he stood there listening to the jeerings,  the curses and the mockery of the crowd. Others looked at his body and made fun of him. There were even some who jumped into the cart and pulled or squeezed his manhood, shaming him further with their cruelties.

From the very beginning of his confession, Leo acted strong but as he recalled this shaming ordeal, he broke into a sob. He covered his face with his hands as his shoulders moved until he felt a pair of arms wrapped around him from his back.