Soulmates

55

A couple days have passed since we all went to get our tattoos. I've been doing a little bit better since the kidnapping but I would still wake up every night, screaming in agony. Colby was always so patient with me through everything though, which I really appreciated.

I started going to therapy to get through the paranoia and it was helping a little bit. I was starting to feel a little more normal at least.

Today Colby and I were going to the police station to talk to the sheriff and lawyers about the court date that was coming up for Peter. I didn't necessarily want to go but my therapist suggested that it would be good for closure so I was going to trust her and go.

"Ready to go?" Colby asked and put his leather jacket on. "No." I said with a slight laugh. "I know, it's gonna be okay though. I'm so proud of you." He said then kissed my head.

"Yeah yeah, let's go dork." I said then grabbed my bag. "Whatever you say, goober." He said making me laugh.

When we got to the car Colby handed me his phone. "Put on something good." He said with a laugh as I nodded and put on the Jonas brothers on. "Good choice." He said with a laugh as he started driving to the police station.

"Do you remember when we road tripped from Colorado to LA?" I asked as he nodded. "Of course I do." He said with a laugh. "I can't believe we did that after only knowing eachother for like a month." I said with a sigh.

"Yeah, when you know that someone's the one then it doesn't matter I guess." He said then squeezed my hand. "I guess so." I said with a smile.

When we got to the police station I felt my heart start to race. I was in such a good mood that I didn't want to talk about any of the horrible stuff that happened.

I just wanted to forget about it.

"You've got this, V." Colby said as he rubbed my hand gently. "Yeah, let's just get it over with." I said quietly then got out of the car, pulling my hand from his.

I looked up at the building and took a deep breath before reaching for Colby's hand again. Once his hand was in mine we walked into the building.

"Hi, how can I help you?" The lady behind the desk asked. "My name is Violet, I'm here to talk to the sheriff." I said as she nodded. "Yep, he's in a meeting so just take a seat over there." The girl said and pointed towards the waiting area.

Colby and I went to go sit down, but my legs were restless with nerves. "Relax, V. We're all just gonna talk." Colby said and put his hand on my bouncing leg to get it to stop. "Yeah, I guess I'm just nervous that the sentence won't go well and he'll be free to walk around like normal." I said as he shook his head.

"That won't happen." He said as an officer came over. "Violet?" She said as I nodded. "Come on back." She said then gestured for us to follow. I held Colby's hand tightly as we walked through the halls since the nerves were literally eating me alive.

When we got to the room the sheriff was sitting in there with two older woman that were wearing business suits.

"Ah, Violet." The sheriff said as Colby and I came into the room. "Take a seat, did you guys want any water or coffee or anything?" He asked as we sat in the open chairs. I looked around the small office, taking in every detail while looking at every corner to make sure nobody was lurking in the shadows.

There were pictures and awards riddling the room and even a couple plants. On the desk there was a plaque that said Sheriff Thomas.

"Violet." Colby said quietly, pulling me back into reality. "Oh..sorry. Water would be good." I said as Sheriff Thomas smiled sympathetically then grabbed a couple water bottles from the little fridge that was in the corner of the room.

"I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Richard, and these here are the lawyers on your case. Donna and Ellen." Richard said and gestured to the ladies.

"Nice to meet you. This is my boyfriend, Colby." I said and shook each of our hands. "Nice to meet you both." Donna said as Colby shook their hands.

"So, let's get started." Richard said as Colby took my hand and pulled it into his lap. "We just wanted to understand what happened when you were with your captor...if you're okay with that. It will help us make a case to get him sentenced for life." Ellen said as I nodded.

"Yeah...that makes sense." I said then took a deep breath. "Well, I was at work..getting ready to leave when he gave me some water. I didn't think anything of it because we were friends but I started feeling really lightheaded and woozy after a couple minutes." I explained as Colby rubbed my hand gently.

"I ended up passing out, only to wake up in this disgusting house. It looked like he hadn't cleaned once since he started living there. I was handcuffed to the bed, surrounded by pictures of myself that he had taken." I said then looked at my wrist, where the shiny scar was from the indent of the cuffs.

"He was always sweet to me, as if we were a couple. He fed me and would occasionally pour a glass of water over my head. He would kiss me but never anything more." I said as Colby tensed slightly.

"Did he ever abuse you?" Donna asked as Ellen took notes. "Yeah, when I would talk back. There was also a night where I tried to escape. I had gotten myself free and went to leave the house but the door creaked." I said and closed my eyes remembering the night perfectly.

"He tackled me and beat me until I was almost unconscious. I thought I would from the force he was hitting me at." I said and shivered.

"I don't remember much from that night, but I remember waking up with the cuffs being tighter." I said and opened my eyes. "He kept talking to me about a ceremony and how it was going to be a big day when it happened." I explained as Colby brought my hand to his lips.

"It wasn't until that morning I realized that he was forcing me to marry him." I said as Colby gasped slightly and looked at me. I don't think I mentioned it to him.

"He had some guy come in..he said he was a priest. He technically married us but I was saved before Peter could kiss me." I whispered feeling my heart ache in my chest.

"Was it legal? Are we married?" I asked shakily Richard looked at me with sad eyes. "We weren't able to find any legal documentation but we can't say it doesn't exist either." He said as I brought my hand to my cheek, wiping away the tears that had fallen.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you." Donna said as I nodded. "It's been hard." I admitted then chewed my lip. "We just want to get a solid case so you'll never have to worry about it again." Ellen said as I nodded.

"Richard, do you have pictures of the house and the pictures that were taken of Violet?" Donna asked as he nodded. "We have them, I'll come show you." He said stood up.

The three of them left the room, leaving just Colby and I. "You okay?" He asked quietly as I nodded slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." I whispered as he shook his head and pulled me into his arms.

"Shhh, don't worry about it. I know how hard this has been for you." He said as I rested my head on his chest. "I just want this nightmare to be over." I said and pulled away so I could wipe my cheeks.

"I know, baby. It'll be over soon though, then we can go adventuring with the guys. We'll be able to have fun and be happy again. Right now it's time to heal, and get through this." Colby said then kissed my forehead. "I love you." I whispered as he brushed my hair behind my ear. "I love you more." He said as the door opened.

Richard, Donna, and Ellen came into the room and sat down again. We discussed a couple more things before the question I was dreading came up.

"Did you want to speak at the trial?" Donna asked as I shook my head. "No. Being there is gonna be hard enough." I said and twisted my rings nervously. "Okay, we respect that. If you change your mind though it could help a lot with the sentencing." Ellen said as Colby shook his head.

"He's a creep and what he did should be enough for him to rot in prison." He said as all three of them nodded. "We agree but the system is corrupt. They favor men in these situations so we want it to be the best outcome possible." Donna said softly.

I hated that she was right. I hated that he could walk away from this with only a couple years in prison.

He could find me again in a couple years.

And that was scary.