"Whoever makes the im, bears the burden of proof."


    Haynes was never one for words, nor was he any good at defending himself. Faced with such "conclusive" evidence, there was nothing left for him to say.


    Atst, Haynes spoke. "I''ll find proof that I wasn''t the one who did this."


    With that, he turned and walked away, not lingering a moment longer.


    It was only then that Haynes realized just how little he meant to Ste now-how far he''d fallen in her eyes. He''d always believed that as long as Keen was around, and if he sincerely admitted his mistakes, Ste would take him back. Now, he saw just how wrong he''d been-how foolishly confident.


    As he stepped out of the studio, Haynes suddenly turned to Benson.


    "Was I really that terrible to Ste before?"


    Benson hesitated, unsure how to respond. He chose his words carefully. "In the past, sir, as Ms. Cameron''s husband, you were often nowhere to be found when she needed you most. It left people with the impression that... well, whether she had a husband or not didn''t make any difference."


    He nced at Haynes'' face, and when he saw no sign of anger, he continued, "Before Ms. Pearce returned, it was still understandable-you really were busy. But after Ms. Pearce came back, you found time to apany her to all her doctor''s appointments, yet you never seemed to have time for your wife or your son... The contrast was... hard not to notice."


    Haynes replied instinctively, "I thought Rachel was terminally ill, so-"


    Benson sighed. "Mr. O''Brien, being terminally ill doesn''t mean you can do whatever you want. You..."


    He caught himself before saying anything too harsh. After a moment, he added, "Ms. Pearce deliberately hit Ms. Cameron with her car, and in the end, nothing happened to her. Don''t you think... Ms. Pearce might start to believe she could get away with anything? That even if she actually killed Ms. Cameron, as long as she cried afterward, you wouldn''t hold her ountable? After all, why make trouble for someone who''s dying, right?"


    Haynes understood what he meant and fell silent. Yes, this was all his doing. He''d let Rachel and Jasper get away with far too much.


    Looking back, he felt a deep, inexpressible regret for how he''d treated Ste-all for Rachel, who turned out to be nothing but a liar.


    He asked quietly, "If I try to make it up to Ste, do you think she''ll forgive me?"


    Benson didn''t have much hope. After all, Mr. O''Brien had left himself little room for redemption. Even when Rachel was supposedly dying, Ste couldn''t take it anymore-let alone now, after everything hade to light. Especially after that wedding... He doubted any woman could stand by and watch her own husband marry someone else. If it hadn''t been for Keen, Ste would''ve divorced him long ago.


    But Benson didn''t dare say any of this out loud. Instead, he replied, "If you show Ms. Cameron how sincere you are, I''m sure... she''ll be able to forgive you."


    Whether she''d be willing to get back together, though-that was another matter entirely.


    A thought crossed Haynes'' mind. "Has Rachel been taken into custody?"


    Benson nodded. "I''ve handed over all the evidence to the police. They officially arrested Rachel this morning."


    Now, whenever Haynes thought of Rachel, he felt nothing but disgust-he didn''t even want to hear her name.


    He gave a slight nod and asked nothing more.


    ...


    After Haynes left, the three women also headed out.


    Antoney turned to Ste and asked "Star, with three people testifying against Haynes, why didn''t you call the police and have him arrested for murder?"