The gallery sat in perfect stillness, the usual rustle of note-taking extinguished. Roma’s shoulders drew back slightly, as if bracing against a weight only he could feel.

“This time of year,” his voice dropped to barely above a whisper, yet somehow carried to every corner of the hushed chamber, “my family chooses to celebrate what we lost…” His throat worked visibly. “And what can’t be gotten back.”

The silence that followed felt charged with electricity, like the moment before lightning strikes. When Roma spoke again, his voice carried an undertone of such genuine emotion that several jurors found themselves blinking back unexpected tears.

“Yeah, well…” he caught himself, almost smiling at his own vulnerability. “This is why I continue to work here today. To…” He paused, gathering himself. His gaze leveled somewhere past the jury, past the gallery, settling on nothing. “I choose to be sad forever.”

The words landed like stones dropped into still water. No one moved.

“I digress.”

The transformation was mesmerizing - like watching a fortress voluntarily lower its walls. Every eye in the courtroom remained fixed on Roma as he visibly wrestled with what to share next.

“I always say that other people know what’s best for themselves,” he admitted, a hint of his familiar irony creeping back in. “And maybe I’m going against that in my actions today…”

His gaze swept the room, landing finally on the plaintiff’s table.

“I see her sitting over there,” he gestured toward the table, his voice carrying an unexpected note of empathy. “And I see someone who’s completely stressed out… and why?”

The question filled the room, heavy and suffocating.

“It’s because they want to do the right thing… self-harm, if you will.”

“And I love that… watching one soar in the wrong direction…” His voice carried something almost tender. “A pair of wings that are far from tragic.”

He paused, his expression tightening into a stern look.

“…and this is something that the party in question doesn’t seem to be ‘affected’ by.”

His eyes shifted slightly. “I see the one sitting behind her…” He nodded his head, almost smiling.