The prisoner, sentenced to life imprisonment, asked for only one thing — to see his newborn son: But as soon as he took the baby into his arms, something unexpected happened 
— The court has decided: you are found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, — said the judge, looking down at his papers.
— Does the defendant have any final words? — he added after a moment.
The man in the orange uniform raised his eyes. His voice trembled:
— Your Honor… may I make one request? I’d like to see my son. He was born after I was already imprisoned. I’ve never held him in my arms.
The judge paused, looked at the guards, and nodded quietly. The door opened. A young woman with a tired face entered the courtroom. In her arms, she held a small baby.
She walked closer. The officers removed the man’s handcuffs. He carefully took the baby, as if afraid to hurt him by accident.
Tears streamed down his cheeks — the first in many years. He pressed the baby to his chest and whispered softly:
— Forgive me… forgive me…
The judge, the jury, the guards — everyone was silent. The silence was so deep that you could hear the baby breathing. But at that very moment, something unexpected happened 
To be continued in the first comment 
Suddenly, the man looked up:
— I have to tell the truth. I didn’t kill that man. It was my brother… He was drunk that night, and I couldn’t betray him. So I took the blame.
A murmur spread through the courtroom. The judge turned pale. The wife covered her mouth with her hand, holding the baby tightly to her chest.
— I thought I could live with it, far away from my family and my son. But now that I’m holding him… — he looked at the baby, — I realize that my family is what truly matters.
The judge ordered the session to be adjourned. A week later, the case was reopened.
And the photograph taken that day appeared in newspapers everywhere — showing the man, dressed in his prison uniform, holding his son in his arms.
At that moment, he was no longer a criminal.
He was a father who had finally decided to tell the truth.
