The woman gestured toward a group of people, explaining to Nicole, "See, all these individuals have been aided by Mr. Schultz. Mr. Schultz is accused of economic crimes, but none of them believes it. Mr. Schultz uses his wealth for charity. How could he be doing anything wrong..."

Nicole's body started to shake, and she stuttered, “Please... Stop talking."

The woman noticed Nicole's distress and worriedly inquired, "Miss, what's wrong? Do you need me to call an ambulance?"

"It's nothing... I just need to step outside for a moment," Nicole replied.

Nicole looked around and observed that everyone in the courtroom was looking at Jarrod with appreciation.

A chilling sensation washed over Nicole instantly. The man she viewed as a great villain was perceived by others as a benevolent figure, which was utterly absurd and laughable!

As Nicole rose to leave, she stumbled, causing a disturbance.

Jarrod's attention turned toward her, and she instinctively clenched her fists. A buzzing noise filled her ears, drowning out the judge's words.

Nicole hurried out of the courtroom, reached the hallway, and leaned against a pillar, gradually sliding down to the floor. Her heart hammered wildly as if it were trying to escape her chest. It felt as if her entire world had been flipped on its head.

To others, Jarrod was a hero, but to her, this notion was Laughable!

How he had mistreated her... He had degraded her, forcing her to entertain corpulent businessmen as if she were their mistress, often dealing with multiple men simultaneously. He had slapped her, compelled her to jump into the ocean as if she were fish food, and even when she was wracked by sickness and her body was frail, he showed no mercy.

The flood of horrific memories overwhelmed Nicole. The man praised by others was nothing but a demon to her, a true embodiment of hell, cloaked in a haze of deception!

Unbeknownst to Nicole, in the five years she had been absent, Jarrod had indeed attempted to live up to the virtuous image others saw in him, and he rather enjoyed the role.

Yet, Jarrod's obsession was deep and long-standing. In his interactions with Nicole, he had always behaved unusually. He could not tolerate Nicole not loving him, nor could he handle her loving someone else.

When Jarrod learned Nicole might have feelings for others, he felt so enraged that he wanted to destroy everything, including both their lives.

Thus, there were no purely good or bad people. One viewed as virtuous by some may be considered wicked by others.

Nicole, unsure how long she had been soothing herself, felt her heartbeat slow to a more normal pace. She slowly got to her feet and called Roscoe, but there was no response, even after the third call.

It was unlike Roscoe to vanish without leaving a message. A sense of discomfort began to tighten around Nicole's heart.

At that moment, the loud noise of the crowd filled the hall.

Nicole noticed the woman she had talked to earlier emerging, signaling that the court session had ended.